Flexibility and adaptability will be in particularly high demand as fast-changing industries are accelerated further by the government’s much-anticipated strategy, expected by the end of the month, said Lydia Amarquaye.
IMechE’s education and skills policy lead will present a panel discussion on the topic at IMechE Focus: Skills and Recruitment, running online next week (16-20 June). The first in a series of three events this year, the webinar programme will also highlight the integral role of engineering in wider industrial sectors and the economy.
The skills gap was another driver for the event. The institution has called for a “fresh approach” to provide skilled engineers and technicians, with an estimated annual shortfall of 37,000-59,000 new recruits.
“When we think about the Industrial Strategy, we need more engineers to do the work that is required,” Amarquaye said to Professional Engineering. “If you want the country to do well, you need engineers – and therefore you need to invest in engineering to get more people in to fill all of those positions.”
IMechE’s policy team worked with the institution’s expert member committees to respond to the Industrial Strategy consultation. Key messages delivered to the government ahead of the 10-year plan included integrating systems thinking into the strategy, prioritising long-term planning and investing in engineering infrastructure.
Another of the institution’s key aims is for engineering to be recognised as the foundation for much of the work done in the ‘high growth sectors’ identified by the government, including advanced manufacturing, clean energy and defence. This is particularly important as the profession was barely mentioned in the government green paper published ahead of the consultation, Amarquaye said: “We want to see it being more explicitly seen as a key driver for some of these areas.”
Next week’s panel discussion, “The role of engineering in delivering the Industrial Strategy”, will feature the chair of IMechE’s Technical Strategy Board, James Collinson, who will set out how engineers will help deliver the strategy.
A focus on skills will be vital to making that happen, Amarquaye said. “Within the Industrial Strategy, we want to see that there are key identifications of where we understand the skills gaps to be, and how the government can close them,” she said.
“Engineering will fit across quite a few different sectors, whether it's energy, advanced manufacturing, and a few other government departments – so how do they plan to make sure that the workforce planning is across the whole scope of that?”
The webinar will also include Rose Sargent, a policy advisor from manufacturers' organisation MakeUK, which recently published an Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report with recommendations to fill long-term vacancies caused by early retirements, an ageing workforce and occupational ill-health, as well as an “alarming” drop in apprenticeship starts.
IMechE has called for a National Engineering and Technology Workforce Strategy to ensure future demand for engineers is understood for all the key sectors and for plans to be put in place to meet that need, such as investment in apprenticeships or short-term courses.
‘Upskilling’ engineers to enable them to switch industries should be a top priority in the new strategy, Amarquaye said. 80% of the workforce that will exist in 2030 is already in work, according to the Industrial Strategy Council, so any plan for skills should not just focus on bringing in new recruits – the industry must also develop the current workforce to meet new demands.
“Engineering is key in a lot of the eight growth sectors that are mentioned, so… there's a lot that engineering can embed itself into, whether that is around infrastructure or development of technology through research, innovation or implementation,” Amarquaye said.
“Inherently engineers fit into a lot of these sectors that are being spoken about, so we need to make sure that we are giving our engineers the kind of skills that they need to be thriving in those environments.”
Adaptability will be a valuable trait for engineers and should be recognised in the strategy, she added, so engineers are able to join industries “that are changing so fast at the moment”: “A mechanical engineer has to understand robotics and advancement of AI, and the flexibility of working with others who may have more of a specialism… it's making sure that our engineers are balancing their technical knowledge, but also being able to take on new information and make decisions.”
Register for free to develop your engineering career at IMechE Focus: Skills and Recruitment (16-20 June). Topics include building a career at BAE Systems, the mechanical engineering skills required for the hydrogen transition, how to thrive as working parent, and a deep dive into systems engineering.
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Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.