Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 10 | Page 76

76 | JADE ARTICLE #5 | 77 KATHRINE JACKSON, BARBARA DALE, & LOU TAYLOR-MURISON skills and capabilities for the future (p.7). A proactive approach is therefore needed to address the wider skills shortages, with an estimated shortfall of more than 55,000 in transport infrastructure by 2020 (Ibid., p.12), and to meet the new technological challenges in the industry, for example, new emerging markets for Intelligent Mobility (Ibid., p.42). The 'Industrial Strategy' highlights the government’s commitment to improving the skills of the current and future workforce to deliver its ambition to become a ‘world leader in shaping the future of mobility’ (p.49). The 'Transport Investment Strategy – Moving Britain Ahead' explains the need to ‘improve technical education, training and qualifications, particularly in key sectors such as infrastructure, and in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects’ (p.66) and refers to the 2016 'Transport Infrastructure Skills Strategy', which sets out priorities for developing industry-related skills. Government plans to invest an additional £406m in digital, technical and maths education is expected to help address the shortage of skills in these areas ('Industrial Strategy'. p.15). Since 2009, motor vehicle manufacturers’ expenditure in research and development has increased year on year, with a 20% growth between 2015 and 2016, reaching £3.4bn in 2016 ('Automotive Sector Deal', p.6). The ‘Automotive Sector Deal’ (2018) aims to build on the strengths of the UK automotive sector and further develop the 2009 collaborative partnership established between government and industry, securing joint investment and long-term commitments in areas including the design and development of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV), the research and development of battery technology and accelerating the manufacture of ultra-low and zero emission vehicles. New challenges facing this sector include: remaining competitive by adapting to changes in the way ‘cars are built, powered and driven’; the modernisation of existing infrastructure to ensure accessibility in the future; and preparing for the impact on the sector post Brexit with a current 50% reliance on exports to the EU (Ibid., p.6). KEELE UNIVERSITY HIGHER LEVEL SKILLS NEEDS RESEARCH commits the sector to adopting a new strategic approach to skills development, involving a government and industry collaboratively produced skills strategy and government ambition for a ‘a major upgrade to the UK’s infrastructure’ (p.13) and key infrastructure related priorities (p.11). An Ageing Society The ageing society 'Grand Challenge’ is built on forecasts which suggest that, ‘by 2040, one in eight people in the UK will be aged over 75 – an increase from one in 12 today’ (Industrial Challenge. 2017, p.77). With an increasing number of older citizens, Britain needs to create the right kind of environment to facilitate independent living for longer. This can be achieved with innovative practice and the production and facilitation of age-related products and services, for example: • new technology such as smart home technologies, wearable devices and tech enabled health and care services (p.53) • opportunities for older citizens to continue to contribute through the re-design of jobs and workplaces to better use older workers’ skills and experience (Ibid.) • employer investment in career long learning for their workforce (p.94) • worker flexibility to help balance work with caring responsibilities (p.53) • new housing models (p.52) • innovative savings products for retirement and retirement planning (Ibid) In addition, there are increasing caring demands on those of working age and increased health and social care costs, which necessitate innovative thinking and a strategic approach. The Strategy states that ‘without action, an ageing population could reduce the size of our workforce and lead to lower productivity’ (Ibid., p.53) and employers will need to play a vital role by adopting new ways of working in relation to the retention, retraining and recruitment of older workers. Engineering accounts for a significant proportion of the overall UK workforce. The Office for National Statistics analysed the engineering sector on Engineering UK’s behalf and found that some ‘5.66 million people worked in UK engineering enterprises in 2016’. This represents 18.9% of the UK’s total workforce ('Engineering UK 2018 – State of Engineering', p.175). Demand for high-skilled jobs in this sector is rising due to technological advancement. On 12 March 2018, a government press release' 4 announced a £300m competitive fund through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. This is to fund research and business development of innovations and new technologies, with £98 million of the fund committed In the Industrial Strategy, the government refers to ‘the essential attributes of every successful economy’ as the five foundations of productivity, with infrastructure being one of these (p.14). To build the skills needed for the future, the deal with the construction industry 4. 'Government Announces 300 Million for Landmark Ageing Society Grand Challenge', March 2018. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government- announces-300-million-for-landmark-ageing-society-grand-challenge. [Accessed on 16 th March 2018].