UK Parliament Investigates Engineering Skills Shortage

An inquiry by the UK Parliament into the provision of engineering skills in the UK, was welcomed this week by industry business group, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE). A recent ACE report examined the issue in some detail, concluding that the shortages are not just a future possibility but are already severely affecting UK businesses.

As long-term advocates on this issue, ACE says that it is extremely supportive of the committee of MPs' move and called for industry-wide consensus on finding a workable solution to the problem.

ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin commented: "Immediate action is needed if we are to solve the engineering skills crisis. Our recent investigation shows that there are today 20,000 unfilled vacancies in the consultancy and engineering sector alone. We will be highlighting this and a range of other issues in our response to the committee's inquiry."

Ogunshakin continued, "This is fundamentally about education and about the numbers of suitably qualified engineering graduates coming through our universities, of which at present there simply are not enough. As trainee teachers are attracted to study through the waiving of fees, so engineers should be provided with similar incentives. Many of the record numbers of graduates coming out of our universities cannot find work. We must find a way to divert our human resources to where they are most needed," he said.

He concluded, "ACE is already working with government to find suitable solutions, and we hope this inquiry will further focus attention on this important business issue."

Posted to the site on 31st January 2008