Today’s Manufacturing Workforce Challenge
Talented people are the backbone of every successful business. As the UK faces up to potentially dramatic changes in its economic landscape and the risks and opportunities that flow from new technologies, it has never been more important for manufacturing companies to have access to a sustainable supply of recruits with the right skills and to develop their current workforce with the skills necessary to translate business strategy into the healthy returns that fuel our prosperity.
But in manufacturing there’s a problem. The UK faces a critical shortfall in the supply of the engineering skills our businesses need. According to EEF research, 73% of manufacturers say they struggle to recruit skilled people and that access to technical skills is a particular challenge. Their experience is borne out by the research. Engineering UK’s 2016 report points to an annual shortfall of 29,000 people with level 3 skills and 40,000 with level 4+ skills and doubts our education system will be able to meet forecast demand for skilled engineers and technicians by 2022. If UK manufacturers are to succeed in fiercely competitive global markets, we need a solution that not only responds to the current backlog of demand but can meet future needs more effectively by re-training our current workforce and bringing people with the right skills into the recruitment marketplace when and where our employers need them.