Skills and training 
Unite continues to work closely with COGENT: the sector skills council for chemicals manufacturing, working to provide strategic solutions to the acquisition of skills, to enhancing employability and to improving competitiveness in the sector. Unite is committed to ensuring our members have the knowledge and skills to improve their industry's productivity and overall performance, and deliver greater job security. 

Apprentices in Cogent 
COGENT has succeeded in a bid to the Government’s Growth and Innovation Fund to secure funding for COGENT to set up an apprenticeship scheme for the industries. 

Apprentices wil be employed by COGENT and placed in companies to complete a full apprenticeship leading to full qualifications and would not be run like one of the Government’s Apprentice Training Agencies. 

This scheme will be run by a separate board which will include representation from Unite Assistant General Secretary Tony Burke. COGENT apprentices will receive the full rate of pay for the job under collective bargaining. 

The first intake will consist of 200 apprentices. Prior to the bid the scheme was tested and it is anticipated that the applications for these quality apprenticeships will be in high demand and that placements will be found across the industries.

Thinking about an apprenticeship? Women who work in Engineering and Science talk about their jobs. What do we do all day? - Download the leaflet below.