TRAINING & RECRUITMENT
SKILLS SHORTAGE
DEAN GROUP
THE IMPORTANCE OF GROWING THE
MANUFACTURING WORKFORCE
An issue that has been concerning
professionals in the manufacturing industry
is the lack of a skilled workforce. While Brexit
will end free movement, meaning fewer
skilled EU workers will move to the UK, the
truth is that a skills shortage already existed
before 2016. Employers are in dire need
of skilled manufacturers and engineers to
combat the current gap, which continues to
worsen as older employees retire and not
enough properly trained young people enter
the industry. This is why it’s so important to invest
in people and to implement learning
opportunities.
Growing the manufacturing workforce is
a crucial step that can’t be postponed; at
the moment, approximately 186,000 new
engineers and manufacturers are needed
every year until 2024, but we’re currently
facing a deficit of 20,000 graduates annually.
Tackling this issue is key to creating a strong
manufacturing base and securing our role in
the global economy. Increasing the number of apprenticeships in
manufacturing is therefore a great solution
for businesses looking to bridge the skills
gap. Apprenticeships help to increase
awareness of the industry and to dispel
the many misconceptions surrounding it
and allow young people to have first-hand,
on-the-job experience of the manufacturing
world. This kind of experience is invaluable
and can help many to make career decisions
geared towards this industry.
WHY IS THERE A SKILLS GAP?
From the 6,000 UK manufacturing businesses
surveyed by the British Chamber of
Commerce at the end of 2018, 81% of them
found it difficult to hire employees with the
right qualifications and experience. But why
is the UK facing a skills gap in the first place?
The general public has a lot of
misconceptions about the industry and what
a career in manufacturing really means; the
perception a lot of people have, including
young students, is that manufacturing is
not a stimulating or creative profession –
or a rewarding one. In addition, many see
manufacturing as a lower-quality choice
with fewer career prospects. Crushing this
stereotype is vital to increasing people’s
interest in the industry.
But this is not the only contributing factor.
Education plays a major role in growing the
number of people entering the industry.
An interest in manufacturing should begin
earlier than university, so that businesses
can partner with school and career events
to raise awareness of the sector, in order to
spark an interest in students who perhaps
hadn’t considered this path. However, many
don’t think education is currently doing
enough. In their 2019 Annual Manufacturing
Report, Hennik Research found that 57%
of UK manufacturers believe the education
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PECM Issue 38
There is nothing wrong in inspiring young
people to pursue jobs that enable them
to work with their minds; however, equal
importance should be given to careers
where they can work with their hands. For
a long time, children have been taught that
skilled labour is beneath their potential, so
now it’s time to break this stigma.
system is disastrous for the industry and
needs a total overhaul.
The manufacturing industry is continuously
evolving and making use of new and
improved technologies. This means that
workers need to be able to keep up with
these market and technological changes –
otherwise, it can be difficult for businesses
to meet the demands of increased output.
The modern workforce needs to have a
completely different set of skills than the
one required just a few years ago, and a
lack of proper training can contribute to the
widening skills gap in the industry.
Even though Brexit shouldn’t be blamed for
this skills gap, it’s also not doing anything to
bridge it. On the contrary; a large number
of UK manufacturers employ citizens from
the European Union in their businesses, but
once free movement ends, a decrease in the
availability of EU nationals will only worsen
the existing skills shortage.
HOW TO GROW THE
UK MANUFACTURING
WORKFORCE?
If the current skills shortage continues to
grow, it’s likely businesses will be unable to
fulfil their customers’ demands. Because it’s
becoming a challenge to find trained and
qualified employees, manufacturers may
see their productivity decline due to slower
production, increased costs and performance
issues. Moreover, a lack of skills can affect a
business’s ability to remain competitive in
today’s global market.
Addressing the low number of women
in manufacturing is also a good way to
start closing the skills gap. Competency
in problem-solving, excelling at conflict
resolution, learning how to negotiate
and communicate well and working well
with others are crucial skills to have in
manufacturing – and they’re not gender-
specific. Empowering women to pursue
a career in manufacturing, be it by
participating in initiatives that engage them
in manufacturing and STEM subjects or
by encouraging more women to seek out
mentors, is a win-win for your business.
Growing the manufacturing workforce
will lead to higher levels of innovation and
productivity, allowing manufacturers to stay
competitive and to contribute to both the
UK’s and the world’s economy. Reducing
a skills shortage that has been years in
the making may be a challenge for many;
however, knowing where this gap is coming
from and how it can affect manufacturing,
will help businesses, workers, students and
organisations to work towards a solution
together.
www.deangroup-int.co.uk/