Page 15 - Gi flipbook February 2018

Skills gap must be tackled, say employers

THE INDUSTRIAL large numbers of EU workers
STRATEGY is only viable in our ancillary services; the
if the skills gap is closed, number of people who have
a survey of engineering worked here a long time and
employers has found. whose talent, expertise and
A survey revealed that skills we don’t want to lose;
61 per cent of employers and that in any organisation,
ranked the recruitment you deliver more succinctly,
of engineering staff top more efficiently and more
of a list of challenges in productively when you have
achieving their business certainty. There is a risk of
objectives in the next three a long period of uncertainty
years, and 75 per cent having a corrosive effect on
agreed that tackling the productivity.”
skills gap is fundamental to Embracing the “digital Recruitment of engineers is the
making the government’s transformation of top challenge for employers
strategy viable. production and supply
Brexit is expected to chains” is another challenge.
have an impact on the flow The survey highlighted an issue employers need to black, Asian, and minority
of engineering talent into that only 30 per cent of address. ethnic (BAME) and
the country, the report employers have firm plans It estimated that 11 per lesbian, gay, bisexual
said, however a minority to introduce or extend their cent of the UK engineering and transgender (LGBT)
of employers (29 per cent) use of digital technologies and technical workforce diversity of their workforce.
saw leaving the European in the next three years, and is female and only 15 per The research was
Union as an obstacle to only 24 per cent of built cent of employers make conducted through
achieving their business environment engineering a particular effort to telephone interviews with
objectives in the next three businesses had made plans attract and retain women 800 UK employers of
years, according to New to embrace digitisation. in those roles beyond engineering and technology
Civil Engineer. The skills survey carried observing statutory equality staff representing a range
Crossrail Talent and out by the Institution of requirements. of engineering sectors and
Resources Director Valerie Engineering and Technology Fewer than one in ten sizes. It was supplemented
Todd said: “The top three (IET) showed that diversity businesses take particular by 11 in-depth interviews in
concerns are our reliance on in the workplace could be actions to increase the September. ■

Smallpeice and Arkwright merge to ensure there is contact
This new model will
offer co-ordinated STEM learning with students at the key
points in their educational
career, to help cultivate a
TWO OF THE UK’s leading Trust name. Dr Kevin P prestigious engineering passion for engineering in
educational charities, The Stenson, Chief Executive scholarship programme for the critical 14-18 age range,
Smallpeice Trust and the of The Smallpeice Trust, 16-18 year olds. when so many students
Arkwright Scholarships has been named as CEO of The move will offer currently decide to look
Trust agreed to formally the combined organisation, students between the elsewhere for careers.
merge on 7 December. which, in addition to being ages of 11 and 21 years The Arkwright
The combined the UK’s largest STEM access to leading STEM Scholarships Trust awarded
organisation will operate education charity, will now education and scholarship 425 scholarships to students
under The Smallpeice also deliver the UK’s most opportunities throughout this year, and The Smallpeice
their school careers and Trust reached 50,000
The organisation will offer beyond. This integration school students through
students aged 11-21 access will also offer educational 700 programmes organised
to STEM education institutions, parents and across the country.
young students a single The significant success of
point of contact for a wide both organisations in recent
range of STEM resources, years provides a platform
courses, scholarships and to help solve the challenge
mentors already working of recruiting some of the
within the engineering and 1.8 million engineers needed
science sectors. by 2022. ■

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News.indd 10 18/01/2018 11:18