Mid-Ulster firms facing skills shortage

Mid-Ulster is facing a skills shortage with 4,700 vacancies recorded in 2016/2017, according to a business-led forum in the area.

Businesses from six industries compiled the research for the Skills Forum, which was established by Mid-Ulster Council.

The report said there are issues getting workers with the right expertise.

It claimed addressing the gap could create more than 2,000 jobs by 2021.

The forum is made up of companies from six industrial sectors, including manufacturing, agri-food and IT.

It used government data and information from companies for its research.

It found 71% of businesses in the region are struggling to attract appropriately qualified staff.

The main factors are an inadequate supply of applicants and low levels of unemployment in the area.

Emerson, a manufacturing company in Cookstown, County Tyrone, is one of the firms affected.

The factory makes compressors for heating, air conditioning units and refrigeration and relies on semi-skilled and skilled workers.

Liz Kearns, the firm’s head of human resources, told BBC News NI it needs to attract people with engineering expertise.

“We are looking for people with technical qualifications and mechanical and electronic skills to upkeep our machines and to install and implement robotics in our process.

“Manufacturing has been declining in Northern Ireland, but in Mid-Ulster it accounts for 21% of employment.

“When we started in Cookstown, unemployment was 17% and it’s currently 3.1% so there is a lack of supply of applicants, and then trying to find the skills can be challenging.”

The aim is to increase apprenticeships on offer and encourage more collaboration between education and industry.

“We bring people in and have a training programme where we put them on to our process and give them the skills that they need to produce our product.

“We are encouraging students to look at vocational training and to go through apprenticeships to build the skills they need to work in our industry,” she said.

While Brexit is not a main concern for Emerson, it is for other firms in the region.

More than 60% of the workforce at Linden Foods are EU migrants.

Angela Given, from Linden Foods, told Good Morning Ulster the company wants to see a flexible immigration policy after Brexit.

“Our main challenge is the availability of labour and we have seen our applicant pool decline.

“Over 60% of our workers are EU migrants and the impact of Brexit is unknown and presents many challenges.

“Agri-food is like any other business, we require professionals. We need craft butchers and people in finance and IT.

“It is not an option for us to continue to succeed as an industry if we can’t find the right people,” she said.