Back in Business - but Where Are the Skills? ; Manufacturers in the West Midlands Are Back in Business - but Anna Blackaby Finds It's Proving Tough to Find the Staff to Support Their Resurgence

Summary

---

With exports bouncing back and big orders released that were put on hold during the recession, Gerry Dunne is interviewing for new staff at his Birmingham engineering firm.

Given the region's jobless statistics - 9.9 per cent unemployment, the highest in the country - precision pressings and tooling firm Westley Engineering could be forgiven for expecting a deluge of applicants The factory is located in of Newtown, part of the Ladywood parliamentary constituency which has among the highest levels of joblessness in the country. But the only people with the right skills who have answered the job ads, publicised through four agencies and Job Centre Plus, are sixty-year-olds.

See the full content of this document

Extract

---

Back in Business - but Where Are the Skills? ; Manufacturers in the West Midlands Are Back in Business - but Anna Blackaby Finds It's Proving Tough to Find the Staff to Support Their Resurgence

Mr Dunne said: "As things started to increase turnover-wise in the last six to eight months and with the future looking very rosy, we are now looking to take on people that are skilled.

"I'm looking for one on the machining side, o...

See the full content of this document

---