• • • NEWS • • •
Scotland’s brightest young sparks are rewarded for their talent
Year Awards, in conjunction with Edmundson Electrical. John Baxter, who works for Muirton Control and Automation in Fochabers, Morayshire, lifted the 2023 trophy after impressing the judges, while Ben Wardrop, who works for Ross-shire Engineering in Muir of Ord, Ross-shire. received the 2022 award in recognition of his achievements, with both also being presented with a cheque for £1,000.
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Fiona Harper, secretary of the SJIB, said: “The SJIB Apprentice of the Year Awards celebrate the best new talent in our industry and reinforce the fact that apprentices are the sector’s great hope for the future. “John and Ben are both remarkable young electrical professionals who have demonstrated
tenacity and determination to succeed in their chosen careers and have now acquired skills which are not only future-proofed but internationally-transferrable. “They have both shown both ability and dedication throughout their training and we are delighted that they have now been recognised for their exceptional talent.” Derek Allen, Scottish regional director of Edmundson Electrical, added: “Both winners should be rightfully proud of their achievements and their employers, college lecturers and training officers from the Scottish Electrical Charitable Training Trust (SECTT) should also be praised for continuing to help develop the talent of tomorrow.”
wo young electricians have been recognised for their exceptional talent in the Scottish Joint Industry Board (SJIB) Apprentice of the
Engineering industry grapples with rising demand and skills shortage
lectrotechnical businesses are growing more concerned about labour shortages amid the continuing economic squeeze, the latest
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engineering services industry survey, backed by leading trade bodies ECA, BESA, SELECT and SNIPEF revealed.
While reported turnover figures indicate year-on-year growth, lump sum pricing, wage expectations and general inflation are negatively impacting growth.
Almost half (44%) of all survey respondents said labour shortages were their current number one biggest concern for their businesses – up from 42% in Q1 2023 and a third (32%) in Q4 2022. Materials shortages and fixed pricing in light of inflation were ranked second and third-biggest concerns for business-owners, respectively.
A growing number of
electrotechnical businesses have vacancies in their organisations – 57% in the latest survey compared to just over half (54%) in the previous survey, taken in April 2023. Of those with vacancies, over half (54%) said they struggled with an insufficient supply of applicants to fill them.
Half (50%) said applicants lack sufficient knowledge to do the job, and half (49%) said applicants’ pay expectations were too high. Despite these findings, a significant number of contractors are expanding their directly employed workforce rather than choosing agency labour to plug the skills gap. Rob Driscoll, ECA director of legal and business, said: “Turnover doesn’t typically reduce when inflation is high. The real test is maintaining future order books and margins. “As the vast majority of survey respondents are SMEs, I am heartened to see how switched-on our members are despite a tough business environment. ECA remains ready to help its Members mitigate the risks of an uncertain economy. “The lack of enough skilled workers jeopardises our sector’s recovery. It leaves the industry vulnerable in an uncertain market.”
lectrotechnical contractors in Wales are more concerned than employers elsewhere in the UK about shortfalls in workforce skills and qualifications as the sector prepares for the upturn in work necessary to deliver the nation’s net zero infrastructure. Data from a new survey report commissioned jointly by ECA and JIB and published by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP suggests that nearly half of electrotechnical employers in Wales (44%) consider that a lack of suitable training courses is causing recruitment problems and contributing to Wales’ long-running electrical skills shortage. Only 46% of Welsh electrotechnical firms said they were satisfied with job applicants’ skills, whilst just 43% agreed that current qualifications in Wales fully reflect the demands of the job today. These figures both fall well below equivalent satisfaction levels for electrotechnical firms across the UK as a whole (58% and 59%).
electricalengieneeringmagazine.co.uk
Welsh electrical firms especially worried about future skills E
Andrew Eldred, ECA director of workforce and public affairs, said: “Wales has a great opportunity to lead the way on skills for net zero.
“The concerns expressed by Welsh employers in this latest survey are a clear wake-up call for Government, industry and the education sector to work even more closely together to move further and faster from this point on.”
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • SEPTEMBER 2023 5
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