Page 17 - Pembrokeshire Skills Report 2024

Lightcast™
. 2023
Adroddiad Blynyddol | Annual Report – Estyn (gov.wales)
Engineering is critical to all emissions sectors and
the wealth of engineering disciplines will be
required for new technology, R&D, New Projects /
Products and Materiel use will all be developed
from a strong engineering skill set.
Pembrokeshire employs around 3,700 Engineers
across all sectors, however this is 23% below the
national average for these occupations within a LA.
In addition, 76% of all engineers in Pembrokeshire
are male, and 18% are due to retire within the next
10 years. Pembrokeshire Collage have recognised
this and have actively been promoting engineering
courses locally with good successes. This
momentum needs to continue, because many more
engineers will be required for the upcoming
projects and associated new technology such
projects bring.
Figure 1, displays the volume of jobs in Engineering
disciplines tracked since 2003. Since 2019 jobs roles
have been in decline yet job postings for these roles
remains on an upward trend, however LMI suggests
that when job adverts are posted for these roles
they are filled quite quickly.
Upskilling existing engineering disciplines to new
competences around Net Zero, Freeport Innovation,
Renewable energy etc is key for the Small and Micro
businesses in the county, so supply chains can remain
local, courses must be accessible and easy for
employers to release staff to complete. Employers
need to be encouraged to take up these upskilling
opportunities and invest now for the future workforce..
Climate Change and Nature Strategy -
Apprenticeship and work-based learning systems
are in place, however many learners (and their
parents) are not aware of and the benefits of
“earn while you learn”.
Estyn 2022 report states:.
Learners in schools without their own sixth form
generally receive substantially more information,
advice and guidance about the variety of
vocational education and training routes
available to them in their local area. Although
most of these activities take place during Year 11
and could happen sooner. (Estyn, 2022)
Learners in the majority of schools with their own
sixth form receive detailed information about
courses available in the sixth form to encourage
educational progression, including any subject
options that are available as part of local
partnership arrangements. However, relatively
little, if any, information on other options such as
vocational apprenticeship opportunities available
through alternative local providers is provided
routinely to learners in the majority of these
schools. (Estyn, 2022)
Only around a quarter of learners feel that they
understand the range of apprenticeship
pathways quite well or very well. Many parents’
understanding of work-based learning pathways
is very limited, with around 70% of respondents
telling us they understand apprenticeship
options very little or not well. (Estyn, 2022)
Priorities
Upskill and reskill pathways to new emerging
markets and of course underpinned with Net
Zero competence need to be formulated and in
place. These pathways must be easily accessible
and actively promoted to prevent a bottle neck
of urgent training later down the line.
Current vocational training must be promoted in
all schools and current frameworks to be
reviewed with an emphasis on adding Net Zero
competencies to them. A system of short upskill
of competence is often all that is required.
Smart technologies need wider educational
support, this will in turn help to ensure we have a
more productive, higher skill higher pay
workforce.
Figure 1:
Engineering
Engineering Trades roles trend - Pembrokeshire
17
Pembrokeshire
Nation