Is the lack of engineers putting the UK at risk?

UK economy, companies and organisations which operate in engineering disciplines are reporting an increasing problem with recruiting suitably skilled and trained employees. A recent study by the Institution of Electrical Engineers, now re-named the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), found that no less than 40% of UK companies believed that they were almost certain not to be able to recruit the necessary number of engineers or technicians to meet their needs between now and 2010, and were actually looking to hire engineering apprentices and graduates from European and Asian countries. An even more recent survey carried out by the Energy Institute (EI), revealed that potential - and actual – skills shortages are likely to affect the energy industries over the next decade, with no less than 70% of respondents believing that the current situation will mean the industry will not have sufficient leadership talent to meet the challenges ahead. The EI’s research was targeted at 2,400 individuals from 300 companies, organisations and their partner-companies in energy-related industries. In addition to the lack of potential future senior engineering managers and executives, other key findings showed that not only was the pool of new entrants to the energy industries shrinking rapidly, but that the scientific, engineering and technical skills of these recruits was also declining. The number of graduates choosing to enter a career in science, engineering and technology is also decreasing, while at the same time a combination of previous large-scale reductions in employee numbers and lack of recruitment in the energy sector over the past two decades has resulted in an ageing workforce rapidly approaching retirement.