Section Contents
People often talk of a skills crisis, although we believe we're not there yet.
Regions and Nations
Northern England
North East: Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear have a concentration of pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals companies, and there is a focus on petrochemical and oil and gas industries around the Tees Valley area. The petrochemical cluster at Wilton, Billingham and Seal Sands is the largest integrated chemicals complex in the UK in terms of manufacturing capacity. The region has a strong company base in sub-sectors such as power generation, oil and gas, nuclear and, more recently, renewables and low carbon technologies. The development of bio-fuels and bio-refining is becoming increasingly focused in the area.
Northwest: Sellafield, Springfields, Capenhurst, Windscale and Calder Hall nuclear facilities are all located in the North West as well as the headquarters of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and many supply chain companies. The Shell Stanlow Petrochemical complex is situated in the Wirral with an associated storage and distribution network. The chemical, pharmaceutical and polymer industries are spread across the North West. Hydrocarbons (oil, natural gas and petroleum) are produced in areas of the Irish Sea, including Morecambe and Liverpool Bays.
Yorkshire and Humber: Cogent sector employment within the region is dominated by the Chemicals and Polymer industries. The Chemical and Polymer industries are clustered in the Humberside area with a further cluster in North Yorkshire. Two oil refineries and a number of distribution terminals are also based in the region, importing and processing approximately 20 million tones of crude oil. Yorkshire and Humber also imports up to 20% of UK gas and therefore hosts some offshore workers. The region has suffered a fall in employment, most notably in chemicals where employment has fallen by around 20% between 2000 and 2004. There is also considerable cross-fertilisation between clusters, for instance most firms in bioscience are rooted in the agri-food, environmental and especially healthcare sectors.
Economic indicators
| Cogent North | Cogent UK | |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £18.85bn | £156bn |
| Cogent GVA | £5.3bn | £49bn |
| Cogent GVA per employee | £68,463 | £98,394 |
| Number of employees | 77,600 | 500,00 |
| Mean weekly pay** | £459.00 | £381.50 |
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2005
*UK GVA average per employee £31,419
*Industry estimate of total Cogent employment 906,000
**Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2007
12% of turnover in the Cogent sector is generated in the Northern region. The Northern region contributes 11% of the sector GVA. The region employs 16% of the Cogent workforce.
Business size
Source: Annual Business Inquiry 2006
The Cogent sector in the North region has a lower proportion of micro companies (64%) than the Cogent sector in the UK. 3% of companies in the region employ 200 or more staff.
The skills gap
Source: Labour Force Survey 2007
Key skills issues for the Cogent industries in the North of England:
- 12% surplus of the workforce qualified to Level 1 and below
- 12% deficit of the workforce qualified to Level 2
- 9% deficit of the workforce qualified to Level 3
- Technicians and operators are key roles in the region and these roles exist at levels 2 and 3.
Occupational profile
Source: Labour Force Survey 2007
The Northern region has a larger proportion of Managers and Process Operator occupations than the UK Cogent sector. 24% of the Cogent workforce in the region is employed in Process Operator roles.
Workforce distribution
Source: Labour Force Survey 2007
The sector in the region employs a larger proportion of males than the Cogent sector in the UK. 78% of workers are male. The region also employs more full time and permanent staff than the Cogent sector in the UK.
Regional actions
The sector in the region employs a larger proportion of males than the Cogent sector in the UK. 78% of workers are male. The region also employs more full time and permanent staff than the Cogent sector in the UK.
We have established stakeholder groups in each region to ensure joined-up services for the sector. Wider membership of these groups varies across the regions depending on the needs of each region (for example, the Nuclear industry is less well represented in Yorkshire and the Humber).
A major North East chemicals employer, SABIC, has recently agreed to pilot Cogent’s products such as the Gold Standard and National Occupational Standards with its workforce, and will continue to be supported by the National Skills Academy for Process Industries.