Lack of engineers for UK economy

The government has been warned that the UK’s economic recovery is being held back by a lack of engineers.

The chief scientific adviser at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, Professor John Perkins, has called for the government to “step up” to encourage future engineering talent.

Business secretary Vince Cable has attributed the skills shortage to too few teenagers studying science.

In spite of this country-wide crisis the University of Warwick’s Engineering department has seen a rise in applications from prospective students.

A spokesperson for the department commented: “The latest undergraduate application position for 2013/14 entry shows that overall applications across all engineering disciplines in the sector are up 8.4 percent.”

The department is also taking steps to encourage prospective applicants: “While there is much discussion within the Russell Group and Academic Institutions about whether Design Technology should be recognised alongside Maths, Physics and Chemistry as an equivalent to a more traditional A level subject, we recognise the practical applications of skills learnt on this course and accept it as a third subject in combination with Mathematics and Physics on applications.”

Experiences of students in the University of Warwick’s Engineering department reflect the issues raised by Professor Perkins.

Raj Sandhu, a second-year Engineering student, said: “I actually agree with [Professor Perkins’] statement.

“Compared to some other sectors like law and marketing, there’s not as much career support or advertised internships, and a lot of engineers apply for banking roles because there’s a greater chance of success.

“Engineering needs more promotion.”

Professor Perkins has also underlined that the profession suffers from misconceptions, particularly regarding female participation.

A Tomorrow’s Engineers Week poll suggests that only 24 percent of parents of girls think that engineering is a suitable career for their daughters. It is apparent that a similar trend is being seen at Warwick.

Mr Sandhu commented: “There’s [sic] about 300 people on my course and about 30 girls. I think parents get the idea that it’s a very hands-on degree and probably feel women are less suited.

“However, this is not the case as it is mainly theoretical and analysing designs as opposed to building which is what people get confused about.”

Sir James Dyson recently highlighted real-life implications of the skills crisis in an interview for the Telegraph, pointing out that there are jobs for UK employees at his company but realistically he must look abroad to find engineers with the required skill sets.

The lack of engineers in the UK is the “biggest barrier” to Dyson company growth.