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The fact that qualified engineers are few and far between won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has vacancies to fill. This particular challenge has been top of the industry’s agenda for years – as long ago as 1994 the Association of Graduate Recruiters was highlighting the demand for, and shortage of, engineering graduates.
And our very own Royal Academy of Engineering called for a number of actions some time ago to address the problems, including aligning engineering courses more closely with industry needs and a closer collaboration between schools, universities and industry.
The changes made to the immigration system earlier this year that make it harder for employers to recruit from universities around the world only add to the problem.
Coming at the issue from an education perspective is definitely a sensible, long-term strategy, and this could be why many firms are following ABB’s lead and regenerating their apprentice schemes. But what about today, the “here and now”? Up and down the country firms are crying out for qualified engineers to upgrade our power infrastructure and transform the UK into a low-carbon economy.
As part of its Get Britain Working campaign, The Mirror ran a story about the 24,000-plus engineering-related vacancies on the books of the UK Jobcentre Plus. Dr Tony Whitehead of the Institution of Engineering and Technology was quoted in the article as saying: “There is a route into engineering to suit everyone, from vocational apprenticeships, for the more practically minded, through to graduate and postgraduate qualifications for the more academically inclined.”
To my mind, Whitehead has hit the nail on the head. If we are to make a serious dent in the lack of qualified engineers, we need to widen our search.
Remember – talented and enthusiastic individuals are not just found on the university campuses studying engineering – they are found in many different places. And we should look at the potential of these individuals as a much-needed boost to engineering’s ever-dwindling talent pool.
Firms should consider offering programmes for those looking for a career change. A great example is one of our most recent recruits who swapped a career designing furniture to become a substation layout engineer. By her own admission, the learning curve was steep, but with the right mentoring, on-the-job guidance and re-skilling techniques, she has successfully made the transition and is doing really well.
If we are to deliver a vision of the UK as a global leader in turning knowledge into new products and services, we need to broaden our outlook and take on people who might not have a formal engineering qualification, but who bring with them transferable skills. And these skills will not only benefit our companies, they will support the ambitions and career aspirations of the individuals as well. It’s a win-win. Why not give it a try?