An article from the Telegraph (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/03/04/uk-firms-engineers-banks-struggle-fill-skills-shortage/) talks of the UK's growth plans economically being scuppered due to a number of reasons. Britain’s industrial growth plans could be endangered by a chronic lack of skills and an ineffective education system, the industry fears.
Currently companies can plug the gap by hiring EU workers but that option may soon be limited by Brexit, worsening the shortage.
At the same time investment bank Goldman Sachs has warned that even its prestigious brand is often unable to persuade the university-obsessed parents of school leavers that its apprenticeships are worth having - at a time when businesses are desperate to improve workers’ training.
The government’s policy of encouraging industry is likely to fail because Britain’s education system is unable to turn out enough people with the correct skills, according to a study by Institution of Mechanical Engineers backed by Tata.
It found 63pc of engineers believe the skills shortage will intensify unless major reforms are urgently instituted.
Research by Engineering UK found an additional 1.8m engineers and technically qualified people are needed by 2025. Currently there is a 20,000-a-year shortfall in the number of these people being produced by Britain’s education system.
“As the UK charts a course for itself outside the EU, a thriving engineering sector is critical to our future prosperity,” said David Landsman, the UK boss of Tata which makes steel and Jaguar Land Rover cars.
“To achieve this we need to boost the numbers of home-grown engineers - which means re-shaping both how engineering is perceived and respected, and how our young people are taught.
“Unless we take action now, we will be faced with a severe shortage of engineering talent which will act as a major drag on future economic growth.”
The two biggest barriers holding people back from pursuing careers in the sector are not understanding the job and the engineering’s poor image, the study found.
Meanwhile Goldman’s international chief of staff Michelle Pinggera said apprenticeships, even when backed by the biggest companies in the world, can lack clout with potential recruits’ parents.
“Even with us marketing it as well as I think we have, we really have struggled to convince parents that apprenticeships are not a second class route for a career,” she told the British Chambers of Commerce’s annual conference.
As a result Goldman now offers five year “degree-based apprenticeships” in which staff work for the bank for three days per week then two days at university.
“Particularly in the field of technology, people who are finishing their A-levels often don’t see going to university as that relevant or appealing, but these are very talented young people,” she said.
Skill shortages a labour gaps is inevitable and will only be exacerbated with Brexit looming. Many technology areas, IT in particular are screaming out for talent software engineers and cyber security professionals and sourcing this talent surely has to span outside of the EU. Hiring talent on Tier 2 General is one answer as well as snapping up budding talent on the Tier 5 visa. Its agree that Britain must invest in apprenticeships and training for Brits but this must coincide with hiring the very best talent from around the globe. For more information regarding Tier 2 visa sponsorship do contact consult@mavisas.co.uk. Thanks in advance
Mason Alexander