Skills challenge needs urgent action, warns Siemens 15 March 2013

As the National Apprenticeship Week (11—15 March 2013) draws to a close and National Science and Engineering Week (15—24 March 2013) is about to kick off, commentators are urging government, and public and private enterprise to get involved.

Brian Holliday, divisional director from Siemens Industry, for example, makes the point that British manufacturing needs a sea change in supply of skilled engineers, if it is to deliver on the assumptions behind a rebalanced economy.

"Of the 300,000 graduates emerging each year from our education system, only 24,000 do so with an engineering-related degree," he warns.

"Our engineering sector also requires at least 235,000 apprentices and technicians over the coming decade and the pipeline appears to be around 50% short ... in both numbers and disciplines," he continues.

Some of the most acute issues are being faced in the key areas of power and process engineering, so Holliday is one among many urging all involved to work harder to attract younger people into industry.

For him and for many, this is at least in part early exposure of engineering students to quality academic study combined with real world activity.

That, he says, would deliver "a grounding that arms them earlier with skills, experience and enthusiasm to join a workforce and make a real contribution".

Says Holliday: "Vocational training, or learning by doing, lies at the heart of this challenging objective and is one that Siemens passionately believes in."

Brian Tinham

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Siemens plc

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