It seems we are faced with the view that there is an increasing shortage of skills within our industries on an alarmingly regular basis. It is usually followed by questioning the quality of our school-leavers and their willingness to do a “hard day’s graft”.
So why, when industry is facing such a monumental task in refilling our trades and skills gaps, do so many companies not feel the need to adopt an apprenticeship program? Nearly 52% of the respondents to the recent Works Management Maintenance Survey answered that they have no plans to employ apprentices and a further 25% advised that it was their intention to recruit just one apprentice.
A simple calculation leads to the staggering conclusion that from the 86 companies that responded, the intention is to recruit an astonishing (low) figure of 26 apprentices in total. A brave leap, but I am going to suggest this isn’t going to help us plug the skills gap.
When recently faced with the opinion: “the school leavers coming into the engineering and manufacturing industry now are not of the same high calibre as in previous decades” it took me a fraction of a second to jump out of my chair and offer my view.
It is probably true that the engineering and manufacturing sectors no longer hold the allure it once did and the “sexiness” has long since left our industries. But most of us who have made a career within such organisations or have built-up companies of our own to support manufacturing, know what a great and rewarding career it can be.
So why don’t our aspiring youth know this? Why are we not flooded every year with the highest quality school leavers knocking on our doors demanding apprenticeships? Why when you find a good apprentice and have invested significant effort and resources into their development do they leave soon after qualifying?
I’m told today’s apprenticeships aren’t as solid a qualification as those in the days of the shipyards and mining industries, and the 1960s was supposed to be the decade our youth went astray… So when were our school leavers good enough?
Socrates said: “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise.”
And, since Socrates’ day, we have been complaining about the standards of our youth. Far be it from me to challenge the beliefs of such a great mind, but I am suggesting they have always been good enough, but now they want more than just a job, they want a career, they want engagement and they want a journey.
The UK needs great engineers and manufacturing professionals and that can only be achieved with fantastic apprentices and excellent apprenticeship programmes. Maybe it is time for us all to take a look in the mirror; do you see yourself as part of the skills gap solution?
- How many apprentices have you recruited in the past five years?
- How many of your qualified apprentices have carried on in further education?
- Is your supervisory and management structure populated with products from your apprenticeship program?
- Do you personally and your business have a partnership with local schools and colleges?
- Do you run engineering open days for families and students?
- Is your apprenticeship scheme so well marketed, supported and structured it engages the minds of school leavers?
Until you put as much effort into employing, developing and mentoring your apprentices as you do a potential new client you will never accumulate the fresh talent within your business that you need for the challenges of tomorrow.
This is the X-Factor generation; make sure you are the X in the equation.
