Through the UK Industrial Strategy the government has committed to increased business investment over 10 years to eight growth-driving sectors. Part of this strategy is a £270 million investment into technical education and training to address the skills gap in engineering and other sectors. The aim is to support industries that drive long term economic growth, increase productivity and strengthen the national workforce.

For engineering firms in the UK this could address one of our most pressing challenges – the skills gap. This is an opportunity for more young people to access technical engineering education and training addressing the increasing demand for skilled personnel with an aging workforce, competitive market and rapid technological advancements.

Addressing the Engineering Skills Gap

There is a growing shortfall in the UK’s engineering skills capacity. The labour market projections from Skills England suggest that the engineering sector will experience one of the highest rates of employment growth in the country by 2030, outpacing non-priority sectors by a factor of 1.6¹. Engineering UK estimates that 25% of all job postings  in the UK at the moment are in engineering and technology².

Through the investment, the government wants to tackle these issues and stay ahead of the curve by creating and making available a number of short courses, founding new technical colleges and reinforcing the need for apprenticeships by making them more readily available.

For engineering firms, this means that there will be more skilled personnel and work ready candidates available for employment, reducing training costs and timelines, and increasing productivity.

How firms can benefit

As a result of the Industrial Strategy, firms across the country are likely to notice increased availability of specialised courses and training programmes. To take advantage of this opportunity, recruitment professionals at engineering firms need to begin auditing the workforce skills that they currently possess and the gaps that need to be filled. This makes it possible to better target funded training and ensures the needs of future projects are met.

It will also be beneficial to begin partnerships as early as possible with local technical schools and colleges to collaborate on course content. This way firms can ensure that the content being taught relates to real operational environments, particularly in specialist M&E disciplines such as controls engineering, reliability engineering, HVAC optimisation and energy management systems.

Whilst the investment is welcome, it will take time before additional training translates into experienced personnel. The challenge for engineering businesses isn’t just training people, it’s attracting, developing and retaining them over the long term.

At Salko UK, we have invested in apprenticeships in the past and continue to look at opportunities to upskill our existing workforce alongside bringing new people into the industry. The government support is important, but industry also has a key role to play in developing the skills needed for future projects.

Firms need to look at the Growth & Skills Levy as more than an administrative mechanism but as a long term strategic investment tool. By actively planning apprenticeship pathways long in advance and consistent professional development courses, firms can turn levy contributions into long-term workforce stability. In the long term this should help relieve recruitment pressures.

More innovation

The world is experiencing a season of rapid innovation with emerging industries and new technologies being adopted. Engineering firms need to keep up with demand and innovations such as artificial intelligence and advanced materials by having skilled

labour that are well versed in these technologies. Enhanced technical training can help ensure that the workforce evolves alongside technological change, allowing firms to remain competitive in both domestic and international markets.

To find out more about our work, please visit: https://www.salko.co.uk/case-studies/