NSAR rebrands with mission to combat skills shortage
There’s a new acronym to officially add to the UK railway industry lexicon: NSAR.
Formed in 2010 by the Department for Education and working with the industry alongside other National Skills Academies, including power and construction, the National Skills Academy for Rail has formally rebranded to NSAR.
The membership organisation says the rebrand marks the start of its new approach of a “deeper business focus”.
NSAR has developed a new service supporting organisations to meet their recruitment needs through planning for (and developing) the right skills.
It aims to help a “wider group of businesses become more productive” through reduced wage inflation and increased capability, by removing some of the key barriers to training.
“Without the right skills, businesses will stagnate,” said NSAR CEO Neil Robertson.
“NSAR is rolling up its sleeves and providing a new service offer, dedicated to supporting businesses - from SMEs to large organisations - to meet their growth targets.”
The organisation has spent the past 12 months listening to its members and infrastructure industry leaders describe their biggest challenges and threats.
The conclusion was unanimous: an unprecedented skills shortage is threatening productivity and will ultimately result in a wholesale reduction in the competitiveness of UK plc, it says.
NSAR says several factors are contributing to the skills shortage in the UK: an ageing labour force; a reduction in the freedom of movement; increased demand; and a hiatus in training caused by COVID.
NSAR does not offer training services. Instead, it assesses and works with training providers to help shape training courses and skills. Its mission is to help businesses make better-informed decisions in their recruitment, retention, and training requirements.
It is also leading a Transport Infrastructure Efficiency Strategy (TIES) Living Lab.
The InnovateUK and Department for Transport-funded two-year programme involves 25 organisations from across the transport infrastructure sector, to drive innovation from concept to reality.