| answer text |
<p><strong>Draft Answer</strong></p><p>There are 320 manufacturing enterprises in
the UK with more than 500 employees that are foreign owned (i.e. have over 50% foreign
control). This is 61% of manufacturing companies with over 500 employees. The UK welcomes
foreign direct investment and enjoys the benefits of jobs and skills that it brings
and UK manufacturing continues to be globally attractive and competitive. However,
the Government is not aware of any evidence which indicates that foreign-owned companies
treat UK management any differently to British-owned companies.</p><br /><p>We are
taking a number of steps to increase indigenous management skills and capability.
Apprenticeships standards are now available or being developed in senior level and
management occupations. These include degree level qualifications and cover such areas
as Manufacturing Engineer, Chartered Manager and Project Manager.</p><br /><p>The
apprenticeships levy will come into effect from April 2017. It will apply to all UK
employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million and incentivise them to train their
apprentices in the technical and professional skills their businesses need, including
quality management and leadership.</p><br /><p>The Government is also supporting work
being undertaken by senior industry leaders to examine ways to increase manufacturing
productivity in the UK, which is part of the business-led action referenced in the
Government’s Productivity Plan published in July 2015. This work will look at how
indigenous performance could be improved in areas such as leadership, management and
employee engagement, and will also consider what steps could be taken to develop a
stronger culture that embraces innovation and new technologies such as digitisation.
We will consider the findings when they are produced by industry later in 2016.</p>
|
|
