During the Budget last week, chancellor Philip Hammond announced £300 million to support 1,000 new PhD places and fellowships, including in science, technology, engineering and maths. He also announced investment in technical education for 16-to-19-year-olds rising to over £500 million, with new T-Levels to be introduced from 2019.
David Hale, managing director at Jonathan Lee Recruitment, said the government recognising the value of UK manufacturing and the need to up-skill the workforce to exploit the exciting technology opportunities ahead is great.
However, he warned the investment being announced in 2017 “will not address many of the immediate needs in engineering and technology businesses today”.
“One in six of our hires into the sector come from the European Union and much expertise is now ageing out of the workforce, so businesses should not rely on policy and educational investment alone to address the skills challenge and need to be very proactive in future-proofing the workforce,” he said.
“From harnessing transferable skills to facilitating knowledge transfer and embracing ‘returnships’ that could encourage talented female engineers back into the workforce after a career break, there is a range of options that businesses should be looking at without delay.”
To see WM’s summary report of the Spring Budget for UK manufacturers, click here. To see the sectors reaction to the Budget announcements, click here.
Budget spend alone won’t bridge technology skills gap
1 min read
Manufacturing and engineering recruitment specialist, Jonathan Lee Recruitment has welcomed the Spring Budget announcement of extra investment in developing technical and technology skills, but warned it is not the only answer to bridging the widening skills gap.
