Readers letters
Further to the article “Beat the New Year Blues”, I would like offer my overwhelming agreement on skills shortages currently. However, this is not the first time that the engineering sector has faced such challenges. Between 2003 and 2008 the lack of talent was particularly prevalent, but this pressure eased off for some skills from late 2008 through to 2010, as the UK slid into recession.
There is no doubt that employment opportunities within the engineering sector are strong at the moment, with packages and salaries rising, and both of these factors combine to attract labour from abroad. The balance of power between potential candidate and employer has flipped once again, arguably being in favour of the employer during the recession and now firmly back in the hands of the candidate. I believe we are also seeing an indication of north/south divide in the UK, with the south of the country currently seeing many more employment opportunities (broadly speaking) than their northern neighbours.
These attractive opportunities are not going unnoticed by the younger generation, as together with the introduction of university fees, many students are now opting to continue their education with a more practical work-based focus in the form of apprenticeships in favour of university. In a recent article Semta suggests that “engineering and manufacturing sectors need to recruit 82,000 scientists, engineers and technologists across the UK, and suggest apprentices could meet these needs.”
I would also agree with the comments in your article from Phil Scotcher, on getting kids interested in science and technology. A recent study by EngineeringUK found that “89% of those students asked said that enjoyment of a subject influenced their decision to select that subject at GCSE or A Level”. Couple that with “only 2% of respondents saying they wanted to be an engineer” demonstrates that this career choice still remains largely unattractive. How long before students considering their GCSE subject choices make the link between choosing Maths and Physics and a well paid career in engineering? More must be done to enthuse the younger generation and make them aware of the opportunities that could be open to them, and that their subject choices hold the key.
So, although the engineering sector is facing a squeeze on talent currently, there is good news out there. There is considerable focus and momentum at Government level for the need to showcase engineering as a positive career choice at GCSE and A level, which can ultimately only help the industry in the longer term.
Alan Beresford, Managing Director, Omega Resource Group Ltd
Impressive engineering achievement