The Skills Pledge drive was launched at an event in London attended by business organisation heads and ministers, including the newly appointed prime minister Gordon Brown, and saw more than 150 employers agree to increase training provisions for their staff.
This included coatings manufacturers HMG Paints, SigmaKalon and Akzo Nobel Decorative Coatings, which supplies woodcare specialists Sikkens and Sadolin.
“It is essential that we continue to provide our employees with the opportunities to grow and develop for their own benefits,” said Howard Luff, managing director of Akzo Nobel. “The Skills Pledge is a public statement of the company’s commitment to developing its people.”
Andrew Abaza, head of research and development at Proskills, the sector skills council responsible for the building products, coatings, extractives, glass and print industries, added that the commitmment of coatings companies to the initiative is an indication of existing training levels.
“It reflects the amount of training that is already done,” said Mr Abaza. “And it shows that these companies aspire to higher levels of training and Skills Pledge will act as a stepping stone to help them achieve this.”
The British Coatings Federation Ltd has said that it is fully behind the scheme and will be imploring its members to sign up.
