TOOLMAKERS FOR THE FUTURE OF THE SHEET METAL SECTOR

The Institute for Apprenticeships & Technical Education (IFATE) have reviewed the L3 Engineering Technician Apprenticeship and action needs to be taken.

The key finding was that the L3 Engineering Technician Standard with 13 pathways needs to be restructured into individual component apprenticeships.

Organised by the Confederation of British Metalforming (CBM) the sheet metal presswork sector have formed a Trailblazer group chaired by Jaguar Land Rover working with IFATE. Members of the group Include 14 presswork Companies & 3 Contract Toolmakers.

As of today the group has completed an ‘Expression of Interest’ and are currently reviewing and updating the L3 current ‘Toolmaking & Tool and Die Maintenance standard that was established in 2017. The Standard and End Point Assessment will take a least another 4 months to complete prior forwarding for IFATE approval and agreeing a funding band.

TOOLMAKING SKILLS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE SECTOR.

‘No tool designer no toolmakers no press tools no product’

The sector 1st & 2nd tier suppliers are spending millions of £’s buying new press tools from the far east were as 25 years ago we were 75% (estimated) self-sufficient in the UK.

Cad / Cam machining is a big part in making press tools however pure toolmaking is a skill that takes the individual machined tool components into a fully productionised piece of unique equipment into mass production to meet the product quality standard & volume. If we don’t have this skill in our workforce productivity is lost.

In that 25-year period we have lost a mass of skills through retirement with minimal succession planned training. We need to claw this back to being self-sufficient making new tooling in the UK including having quality domestic maintenance toolmakers in the press work companies.