TOO FEW ENGINEERS IN THE UK?
Every year 20,000 engineers graduate in the UK, that’s 580,000 less than in China and for many the shortage of engineering graduates is worrying. Nigel Whitehead, a senior executive at BAE Systems has recently said that this graduate shortfall will leave the UK trailing behind in the technology sectors.
British politicians have been talking this year of the planned £200 billion investment into British infrastructure, which is believed will grow at nearly double the rate of the wider economy, but accompanying this has been a debate on the skills shortage that could scupper this growth. Where are all the engineers who are going to build this new infrastructure?
Warwick University’s Institute for Employment Research forecasts UK engineering firms and manufacturers will need to recruit 587,000 people by 2017 just to meet replacement demand. We do not yet know what percentage will need to be engineering graduates, but it’s likely to be sizeable.
A recent report entitled ‘Is there a shortage of scientists?’ found that nearly a quarter of UK engineering graduates are working in non- graduate jobs. Six months after graduation, only 46% of 2009
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engineering graduates were in jobs that related to their degree subject. This would suggest that the perception of a shortage of engineering graduates is not entirely accurate.
Andrew Whitmore, the head of careers at Manchester University, at last week’s Association of Graduate Career Advisory Services (AGCAS) conference said that despite the claims of an abundant demand for engineers in the UK, some engineers (particularly those with a three-year BEng as opposed to a four-year MEng qualification) are
still struggling to find work. It can be tough for engineers to find the perfect match with the specific role they are looking for.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) says that it is true that businesses are still crying out for engineers and that perhaps this is a reflection on the quality of the engineers graduating. Susan Anderson, the CBI director of education and skills policy, says that students must place more of an emphasis on gaining work- experience.
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