Engineering Skills Shortage Looms for Britain
At European Springs, products like our quality torsion springs are made by some of the finest engineers in the country, but according to recent news the UK could soon be facing a real dearth of engineering talent in a more widespread sense.
BBC News reports how a 'retirement cliff' is looming for UK engineering. Apparently, the average age of a British engineer is 54, and with only 6% of current students electing to study engineering there is a massive skills shortage forecast in the near future.
Of course, engineering has been pinpointed as an area that is undergoing somewhat of a lull in Britain for a while, but these statistics are especially worrying. With young people increasingly neglecting the possibility of pursuing engineering as a viable career, and the majority of the engineering workforce nearing retirement age, the resulting skills gap could easily take many years to repair.
It's not that there are no opportunities for budding engineers to take advantage of in the UK; in fact the exact opposite is the case. Engineers are actually in increasingly high demand throughout the country, such as in the case of the aerospace construction projects related by the aforementioned BBC article. The major problem is that young people in the main simply do not want to fill the available roles.
Many people have stated that the problem lies within our education system. UK schools favour teaching other skill sets instead of those with direct application within the engineering industry, and as such there is a lack of enthusiasm for young people to engage with. Women are, of course, still underrepresented too, and the country faces a lot of work in the years ahead if this is to be resolved.
The main concern will undoubtedly be changing people's attitudes towards the engineering industry. For example, our engineering team at European Springs have carried out a variety of intriguing projects over the years, including work within the telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries, and people need to be made aware that the term 'engineering' encompasses far more than just the more 'traditional' practises.
If you've a need for springs or pressings, then you can count on European Springs to meet even your most atypical needs in both the short and the long term. We're very privileged in that our business is still undergoing very strong growth, and so we can meet your need for springs no matter what shape, size or quantity of components you require. Contact us now by calling +44 (0) 208 663 1800 or email info.bec@europeansprings.com to find out more.
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