This industry needs you!

Who said engineering can’t be fun? FSL Aerospace’s sales and marketing director Neil Broad says we can’t wait for the younger generation to see the light if we are to get the right recruits to do the right jobs. Looking across the range of industries that employ composites in manufacture, from F1 to aerospace, and medical to defence, to name a few, why is it that there is such a chronic skills shortage? These industries keep the UK at the forefront of design and technological development, but engineering generally is failing to attract enough graduates and little is being done to persuade school-leavers with good hands-on practical skills to take up composites and engineering apprenticeships. The UK needs 100,000 engineering graduates every year for the next 10 years to fill the chronic skills gap – and that will require a step-change in the way careers are presented to young people. At the same time a Royal Academy of Engineering study showed British industry educates 90,000 STEM undergraduates annually, of which 25,000 graduate in engineering. Consider too, that many international students return home after graduating, and a further quarter of UK graduates choose careers in more ‘glamorous’ sectors, such as banking and consultancy. That leaves a huge gap. Where are we going wrong? I would argue that perception of engineering as a career is one aspect that should be tackled early, both in terms of explaining modern engineering opportunities to very young students and in terms of acting now if the talent pipeline is to be increased. We can’t wait for a generation to see the light if we are to get the right recruits to do the right jobs – composites depends on innovation and advancing technology and there simply isn’t time. UK design and manufacturing needs to maintain its reputation and safeguard its future business in the rapidly developing and increasingly competitive global market. This can only be done by ensuring UK students have a full and rounded knowledge of the careers and opportunities available, and that modern factories are not all about dirt, grease and spanners. Industry surveys give an insight into why students are failing to see engineering as a clean and structured career path that has the potential to provide good remuneration along with a high level of job satisfaction: 49% of students aged 7-11 said engineering would be ‘boring’ and, in another, 1,000 people aged 16-18 voted Coronation Street’s Kevin Webster the “greatest living British engineer”! Educating teachers, from primary school upwards, on the breadth and number of opportunities available in industries specialising in composite engineering, and on the reality of clean modern factories, would be a good and positive start. We need to inspire the next generation now! Children who prefer practical hands-on problem-solving could be guided into apprenticeships. With many companies offering on-going professional development for good candidates, less academically adept students would have the opportunity to develop worthwhile, productive careers in their own time while developing their own specialist skills at their own pace. Meanwhile, students embarking on engineering degrees would also have more knowledge of the range of career options and I’m sure many would find HS2, F1 motorsport or aerospace more glamorous than banking. I’ve spoken to several businesses affected by the shortage of skills in engineering and composite companies to get their view on how they’re tackling recruitment issues and how we, as an industry, can help persuade government and education providers, to improve the flow of high quality candidates into engineering. Dr Andrew Clarke, vice-president of engineering at GKN Aerospace: “GKN Aerospace takes skills extremely seriously. We differentiate ourselves through people and technology, and this makes a difference. The skills of our people are core to our business. “We have maintained apprenticeships at local site level. Young people are brought in for specific tasks requiring specific skills such as composites manufacturing on the Isle of Wight. This ensures training is focused. “Two years ago we re-launched our higher level apprenticeships. They give apprentices the chance to develop further and obtain qualifications which allow them to develop and explore engineering skills often associated with a graduate placement. “One ongoing issue is that young people are too often informed by social media, parents and schools that they must to go to university. What is not clear to them is how to get a technical role if they are more hands-on rather than academically biased. I recently interviewed 12 potential apprentices who had completed A Levels, but none of them had any idea how to get into a technical role. “GKN has around 150 apprentices going through the system at any one time and will be recruiting 60 every year for the next 20 years. “To help students keen to find a career in engineering, GKN Aerospace also supports the Bristol Technical Academy and promotes the concept of a National Aerospace and Advanced Engineering College. “The UK often underplays the importance of engineers careers compared to countries such as the US where engineers are given a signet ring bearing their class number on graduation. I am not advocating dishing out rings in the UK, but some sort of recognition needs to be given so they are on a recognisable par with other careers such as Doctors. “We have around 50 graduate applicants for every place. The old schemes were no longer fit-for-purpose so we introduced an 18-month, three-place rotational system. Successful applicants are guaranteed jobs after the rotations and achieving certain grades when they formally become a ‘GKN Graduate’. “There are 30-50 graduates going through this process every year. Following graduation they continue to have a managed career development path through continuous professional development, which can lead to higher level engineering. “GKN Aerospace has built its reputation on innovation, introducing new technologies and concepts into our manufacturing processes very quickly. We are innovators in carbon fibre reinforced plastics and metallics with a highly skilled and dedicated workforce which helps make what we manufacture world class and leading edge.” Graham Mulholland, managing director at epm:technology: “Our training plans are mission-critical for our growth and we completely buy into ‘Train don’t blame’. Our new technology centre is not shy in its approach. It is all about the customer but, in the same breath, it’s also an open door to local schools, colleges and universities. “The purpose of this is to allow them to see what high tech factories (which require clever people) are all about. Even how the factory is laid out is part of these activities, reaching out to educate and change preconceived perceptions of factory lives. “As an industry we must stop whinging. We must become proactive in supporting training and accepting this costs money. It is an investment and it is a necessary requirement to enable growth. “There is a fundamental lack of understanding of the difference between education and training. It would help if UK composites-related academic institutions had a clear statement from industry that they expect to recruit a specific number of composites graduates each year. In order for this to happen, however, composite companies need clear commitments from their customers which are often not in place. “It is regrettable that youngsters are discouraged from entering the engineering industry because they are not academically able. Often it’s actually worse than this, as they are encouraged to work in factories when they are not considered bright enough for the army! Teachers need educating that modern clever factories need clever workforces.” Chris Little, training director at Composites UK: “In composites, and this includes all areas not just aerospace, there has been a lack of any real composites-related qualification. This has led employers to develop their own training schemes which are very much related to their own businesses. “The industry is now in a position where it has put in a bid to develop a Trailblazer Apprenticeship, and this will be led by a major tier 2 supplier and supported by a large number of Composite UK members. “At university level, there is a perception that engineers get their hands dirty and that it is a hard course. This perception is not necessarily reality and may take a generation to change. We certainly need to encourage and attract the younger generation to become engineers. I am also led to believe that the government is going to weight the A levels so that it is more advantageous to go down a technical route. “A composite degree is undoubtedly useful, but at the present time, composite industries need people with all levels of skills and especially knowledge. Also, UK qualified engineers should enjoy the same status as the ‘doctors’ of engineering do in countries like Germany. After all, it is these people who will really solve the problems of the world.” www.fslaerospace.co.uk