INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Issue 5 of Global Industry Focus!

Welcome to this 5th edition of Global Industry Focus, featuring articles and news spanning the electronics sector.

In this issue, David Greenman from Humiseal shares his view on the skills gap affecting UK industry, and we also hear from EngineeringUK renewing their call on the government to increase investment and improve access to careers provision.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently reported that official vacancies in the UK were at a record high of 1.2m, with the U.S. currently also having millions of unfilled STEM jobs making it clear that organisations are finding it harder than ever to fill roles.

A report by the Learning and Work Institute (L&W) in 2019 found that the UK skills shortage will cost the country £120 billion by 2030. Overall, there will be a shortfall of 2.5 million highly skilled workers and an oversupply of 8.1 million people with traditionally intermediate or low skills.

EngineeringUK shared the scale of the problem, reporting a shortfall of up to 59,000 people in meeting the annual demand for 124,000 core engineering roles in the UK.

Strikingly, a new Institute for Fiscal Studies report shows that spending on adult education – for those 19 and over – and apprenticeships has fallen by 25% since 2010. With varying solutions to this skills gap, it’s clear that one size does not fit all and solutions must be based on regional and industry-specific needs rather than a broad national approach, hand-in-hand with increased investment, promotion of STEM skills throughout schools and colleges.

Professor Danielle George MBE, the outgoing IET President and an ambassador for ‘Engineering Kids’ Futures’, said: “To ‘build back better’ and fully embrace the ‘green industrial revolution’ promised by the government, it is essential to start with solid foundations. By adding more focus on misunderstood terms like engineering and technology - where we know there is a perception problem - it will help young people from all backgrounds learn vital engineering and tech skills early on and increase their career aspirations.

With a raft of possible solutions to this skills gap, it’s clear that one size does not fit all and solutions must be based on regional and industry-specific needs rather than a broad national approach, hand-in-hand with increased investment, and promotion of STEM skills throughout schools and colleges.

We will continue to explore the issues of the skills gap, gender equality and diversity within STEM in future issues of GIF so do please reach out if you would like to join the conversation.

Kirsty Hazlewood

Editor