Step up for skills

Engineering companies in the UK can apply for up to £1,800 worth of training funding per employee under a government-backed scheme designed to boost skills in the sector.

The £65m programme run by

, the sector skills council for science, engineering and manufacturing technologies, offers grants to help staff achieve higher NVQ qualifications. Part of the cash has been earmarked for developing employees' management skills.

The scheme is part of Train to Gain, the

initiative to provide tailored support to meet employers' individual skills needs.

Philip Whiteman, chief executive of Semta, said: 'This is for employers in the Semta footprint based in the UK. They need to meet the normal requirements of Train to Gain by demonstrating their commitment to producing a training plan to get their staff to level two or level three qualifications.

'The key benefit of this new deal is that staff who already have such a qualification can be funded for a second qualification provided it is in business improvement techniques.'