North Lincolnshire Council - Workforce
Workforce Summary
Having a highly skilled and adaptable workforce is key to helping businesses thrive, improve productivity and remain competitive. This is why North Lincolnshire Council and its partners are working together to ensure today's workforce, and the workforce of the future, are equipped with the skills needed for business growth.
Productivity in North Lincolnshire is higher than the other three areas of the Humber and above the national median. This is in part thanks to North Lincolnshire’s highly skilled and adaptable workforce, and the widespread use of advanced technology throughout the industrial spectrum of North Lincolnshire.
People in North Lincolnshire have a wide skills base in a number of key sectors; these are particularly strong in the area’s significant concentrations of certain industries. As measured by location quotient (North Lincolnshire compared to the national index), North Lincolnshire has significant clusters of businesses in:
- Chemical Manufacture
- Construction
- Traditional Metal Manufacturing and Engineering
- Food Manufacturing and Packaging
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Transport, Storage and Communications
Nature and structure of the labour force, demographics
North Lincolnshire has a working age population of approximately 100,000 people, of which 77.3% are economically active. The working age of economic activity in North Lincolnshire is higher than the rest of the Yorkshire and Humber region or nationally.
Education and Qualification
North Lincolnshire pass rates for pupils achieving 5 or more A*-C grades at GSCE are higher than the national and regional figures.
There are 14 secondary schools; 47 primary; 9 junior; 10 infant, and 2 special education schools for young people with physical and learning disabilities. Thirty-six primary and infant schools have nursery provision.
Many local schools are recognised by Ofsted as being of high quality, with some earning Beacon Status.
North Lincolnshire is home to specialist schools including the arts, technology, maths & computing, business & enterprise, languages, and sport. We also have two specialist engineering colleges, Brumby Engineering College and North Lindsey College, which provide practical engineering training and NVQ apprentice programmes.
North Lindsey College provides full and part-time further and higher education academic and vocational courses for students aged 16 upwards.
John Leggott College is an internationally sought-after college, attracting students from across the globe.
Availability
Approximately 6,400 people in North Lincolnshire are currently unemployed (out of work and seeking work). Job Seeker Allowance (JSA) claimants represented 4.3% of the working age population of North Lincolnshire in December 2010. A total of 10.1% of the youth population are claiming JSA.
Companies throughout North Lincolnshire attract workers from the neighbouring towns of Grimsby, Doncaster, Gainsborough and Lincoln. This is boosted thanks to excelent transport links that connect the area.
Labour Costs
The local median full-time weekly earnings for North Lincolnshire residents was £474.00 in 2010. This is £32 below national earnings levels.
Male full-time workers in North Lincolnshire earn £244.50 a week more than female workers, compared to £175.70 more at
regional and £186 at national level. This is attributed as a reflection of the heavy industry and continuous shift nature of manufacturing in the area.
Training and Recruitment Initiatives
Throughout North Lincolnshire, there are several sources of help and advice when considering what skills businesses may need. This is supported by an extensive range of award winning training providers that offer a wide range of both academic and work-based learning courses and workshops including Apprenticeships, Train To Gain and NVQ programmes. In many cases these can be delivered in the workplace to help minimise disruption to the businesses and individuals undertaking lifelong learning.
Apprenticeships are a proven way to train your workforce and for individuals to gain recognised industry qualifications. Apprenticeships can make your organisation more effective, productive and competitive by addressing your skills gaps directly, even in uncertain economic times. The Apprenticeship programme has been designed to help your employees reach a high level of competency and performance and with over 180 different types of Apprenticeships. For more information, visit the National Apprentice Service.
Other
For businesses across Yorkshire & Humber, there are also highly specialist industry-specific training and development facilities that support industrial growth. One such training provider is the Centre for the Assessment of Technical Competence Humber (CATCH), which offers unique opportunities for chemical and process industries to carry out training in an authentic plant environment.
The University of Hull is also home to The Logistics Institute – a world-class centre for logistics and supply chain management. The University’s Business School also works closely with businesses and organisations on leading-edge applied consultancy, research, and technology development.
