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There is no quantifiable evidence of a shortage of graduate engineers in the UK, a report published by the IMechE has claimed.
“The hard data is showing that engineering is running broadly in line with the rest of the economy,” said Chris Kirby, head of education and skills at the IMechE.
Using employment data from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, the Skills Council and the Migration Advisory Committee, researchers looked at skills shortages on a sector-by-sector basis. The data included information on the number of jobs that have remained open for three or six months, and the proportion of employers that have had to recruit from overseas, and showed no evidence of a great shortage, said the report. But Kirby said: “That doesn’t mean that a company in Bristol, Derbyshire or Manchester, for example, isn’t having a problem. There will be problems in particular areas and industries and for particular jobs and skill sets.” There is also plenty of evidence of a future shortage ahead, he added.
Although predicting the future is difficult, changes to government policy in key areas such as nuclear energy, and unforeseen breakthroughs in technology can alter the demand for engineering skills overnight. Tackling carbon reductions and sustaining our technologically dependent society while remaining competitive globally will require engineering.
“There is little consistency in terms of the numbers when people forecast demand, but they are all saying there will be a big increase,” said Kirby.
In addressing a future skills shortage, simply adding more skills to the workforce will not have an impact, said the report. Employers needed to think differently to make the best use of the graduate skills in the workforce. One way of doing this was to introduce a scheme that has been successful in Scotland, the Skills for Scotland programme. The report recommends that this is adapted and rolled out across the UK.
At an estimated cost of £18 million, this scheme has helped employers grasp the potential of graduate skills. The number of graduates has increased over the past 20 years and certain engineering roles are now filled by graduates that might not have been in the past.
This up-skilling of the workforce has not been matched by an increase in autonomy and innovation in job descriptions, explained Kirby. “There is a disconnect between the skills available and the impact that you might expect those skills to have in the workplace,” he said.