Spain's metal industry 'needs 150,000 qualified workers'

METALWORKERS are in extremely short supply in Spain – in fact, anyone qualified in the sector is practically guaranteed to find employment, according to industry confederation Confemetal.

Its recent research, titled Study on the Needs of Professional Competence and Apprenticeship in the Spanish Metal Industry, reveals that around 150,000 qualified tradespeople are necessary to cover present and future demand.

Everyone from soldering experts to electricians through to specialists in 3D technology and robotics are being sought now and will continue to be in years to come, Confemetal says.

Its research details employee profiles the industry needs, as well as trade and services the sector provides, and will form the basis for a future training scheme Confemetal will be designing jointly with two of Spain's main unions, the labourers' commissions (CCOO) and General Workers' Union (UGT).

The absence of qualified metalworkers is already limiting growth, productivity and competitiveness in the sector and will do so in the future, meaning it will struggle to keep up with demand as the national economy grows.

Traditional manual trades alone within the metal industry account for about 60,000 unfilled vacancies, without even taking into account the more 'modern' sector needs.

Those linked to product design, digitalisation, automation, 3D technology, databases, process monitoring, environmental and energy management, security, robotics, logistics and many more rôles are essential to cover.

They are included under the heading of 'retail and service', a section that needs around 90,000 qualified workers and covers technicians responsible for water supply and installations, electricity, heating and air-conditioning, building insulation and sound-proofing, telecommuncations, machinery maintenance and repair, recycling, and energy, particularly renewable.

Confemetal believes that if all demand for qualified personnel were to be met, the industry would generate even more jobs, as it would be able to expand.

The research argues that a number of companies in the industry have been forced to downsize – not through financial problems or lack of customers, but because they cannot find enough professionals to run larger concerns.

To be able to train up more professionals, the industry needs to make itself attractive and the facilities for students to carry out practical work would have to improve in size, quality and availability, according to Confemetal.

Infrastructure 'similar to those found in factories and production centres', with 'highly-qualified tutors', and enough time given to apprentices for learning, are completely essential, but costly, and more investment should be made in providing them.

Young people coming from today's mainstream education system are not particularly keen on the idea of working in the metal industry, says Confemetal, meaning it is already at a disadvantage against other sectors when seeking to attract talent.

Industry in general needs to be made more 'inviting' as an area of employment, and women especially should be encouraged – given that metalwork is traditionally seen as a more 'male' profession, female presence is very limited, meaning the field is already reduced for the sector to roughly half the adult population.

The 'standard' training course or apprenticeship route will not meet the industry's needs, Confemetal says, and is working on a more flexible system – short courses, with learning outcomes linked to tangible and visible results, and which respond to the real needs of companies and the 'micro-competences' necessary.

On-the-job training, where workers are taken on as trainees but paid a salary reflecting their skills, together with improved conditions in existing trainee schemes, and opportunities for the over-45s, are crucial, explains Confemetal.

The association also encourages training through the so-called 'dual system' in secondary schools, where pupils combine standard academic education with entry-level vocational qualifications.

Attempting to draw in youngsters from the beginning of their career-choice path could mean the metal industry helps dramatically reduce youth unemployment.

Training and gaining qualifications should be continuous and lifelong, Confemetal argues, and providing this opportunity should be made more affordable and tax-efficient to companies, given that the outcome of this ongoing professional development is 'a more efficient workforce'.