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The reasons behind this gap are multifaceted. Our engineering workforce is ageing – almost 15% are over 60, with nearly a fifth expected to retire within five years, according to reports from the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board and Manpower Engineering.
Diversity also remains a key issue, with women and minority groups still underrepresented in the sector. Meanwhile, the rate of technical progress is outpacing training, leaving companies struggling to meet the demand for appropriately skilled personnel. But perhaps the biggest issue – and the greatest opportunity – is that too few people are choosing engineering as a career in the first place.
Nurturing talent
For decades, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies has been working to turn this trend around. At the heart of the UK’s defence capability, AWE’s mission is to design and manufacture warheads and provide nuclear services to meet the needs of defence. Throughout its 75-year history, whether through apprenticeships, undergraduate and graduate programmes or mid-career pathways, AWE has been focused on inspiring the next generation of scientists, engineers and technicians. AWE is home to a rich community of professionals in science and engineering.
The undergraduate and graduate programmes are where many of those journeys began. AWE supports students through its early-career defence STEM undergraduate sponsorship scheme and penultimate-year industry placement programme.
For graduates, the EVOLVE programme is a two-year journey designed to launch future leaders, innovators and change-makers, providing hands-on experience in their chosen pathway, whether it’s engineering, science, health and safety or project management. Each participant is supported by a dedicated line manager and mentor throughout the programme, helping them turn their potential into purpose.
Apprenticeship opportunities
Not everyone takes the university route. AWE’s well-established apprenticeship programmes offer an alternative path, providing access to on- and off-the-job training across Levels 3 to 6. Starting in 1952 with just 10 recruits in mechanical trades, the programme has now trained more than 6,000 apprentices from the local and national areas.
The variety of opportunities has also increased, covering areas ranging from electronic and mechanical maintenance to precision machining and instrumentation. Currently, our 84 new apprentices – 47 of whom are in engineering – are supported by training instructors, pastoral care, workplace assessors and neurodiversity specialists. The programme’s success is evident: 26% of current AWE engineers are ex-AWE apprentices, demonstrating that the skills developed through the programme create lasting careers.
Mid-career conversion
And because careers don’t always follow a straight line, AWE created the Engineering Foundation Scheme, a pathway for people looking to change direction mid-career. It offers full-time roles for those without a formal engineering background while completing an engineering conversion course at Buckinghamshire New University. Previous participants in the 2023/24 scheme included a policeman, a chef, a postal worker, an IT salesperson and an office administrator who joined the programme to pursue their long-standing interests in engineering.
The engineering skills gap won’t close overnight. But through targeted investment in people, partnerships and education, AWE is helping build the future workforce through the right mix of opportunity, mentorship and ambition.
If you want to play your part in delivering a secure future for all, learn more about AWE here.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.