Schools stunting growth of future large manufacturers says Brompton chief
1 min read
The UK will continue to lag behind the rest of the world in producing large manufacturers unless radical changes are made to the education system, an industry figure has warned.
A failure to capture young entrepreneurs was stunting the growth of domestic firms, according to Will Butler-Adams, managing director at folding bike manufacturer, Brompton.
He told WM: "The trouble is entrepreneurs are not going into engineering. You can teach a module on entrepreneurialism as part of a degree but it's not a substitute. We need to attract more bright minds."
The comments follow research that shows the UK had fewer manufacturers employing over 250 people than Germany and the US.
A school system obsessed with target driven league tables meant manufacturing was missing out on a generation of future business leaders, he added.
"The education system is not delivering to the pupil or to employers. We need to raise the profile of engineering as an attractive career."
Butler-Adams applauded the intent behind a recent government initiative to get more students and teachers to tour factories. But, unless the scheme was entrenched as part of the national curriculum schools would not take visits seriously, he warned.
The number of large manufacturers in the UK declined by over a third from 1998 to 2008, according to EEF research published last November.
Look out for the full interview with Will Butler-Adams in WM's March issue.
