Guest blog: Engineering skills planning should be key priority for government

A new government has a fantastic opportunity to rethink, reset and plan for the long-term. Priorities for the engineering and technology sector are many – but absolutely core - is a commitment from our new government to develop a strategy for workforce planning that gives us security and confidence that the UK will meet its infrastructure, digitalisation and decarbonisation needs. 

Between now and 2030, engineering and technology jobs are forecast to grow in all UK regions faster than any other occupational area, with these skills needed in sectors from creative digital and big data to advanced manufacturing and transport. 

The growth needed in ‘green’ engineering roles simply cannot be left to chance. Last year, the Climate Change Committee estimated that up to 725,000 new roles would be needed for the transition to net zero - other more specific estimates include 100,000 for on and offshore wind and 50,000 for heat pumps. 

We also know that businesses have already been struggling to fill vacancies, with engineering and technology roles accounting for 19% of the UK workforce, but 25% of job adverts. 

The growth in the number of skilled engineering and technology workers needed to achieve the UK’s net zero commitments and to drive growth across infrastructure and emerging technologies    cannot be left to chance. Last year, the Climate Change Committee, for example, estimated that up to 725,000 new roles would be needed for the transition to net zero alone - other more specific estimates include 100,000 for on and offshore wind and 50,000 for heat pumps. 

The pressure on the sector is already visible.

In response to current recruitment challenges and forecasted need, a plethora of government and industry taskforces have sprung up over the last few years. These include the Green Jobs Delivery Group, the National Manufacturing Skills Taskforce, The UK Shipbuilding Skills Taskforce, the Nuclear Skills Taskforce and the Quantum Skills Taskforce – to name but a few and give you a sense of their different sizes, scope and occasional overlaps. 

The approach to skills shortages so far has been hugely inefficient, with groups using different methodologies and coming up with a whole range of solutions, often overlapping, and resulting in an incoherent response across government, at best. At worst, it is becoming apparent that sub-sectors may be competing with each other for talent. The need to make the long-term investment to interest more younger people in STEM is often overlooked given the urgency of addressing shorter term recruitment needs – especially worrying given the decline in interest we recently documented in young girls.

In the first 100 days in power, the government must seize the opportunity to step back and take a much more strategic and long-term approach to understanding the UK’s changing labour market needs and addressing skills shortages. We, along with colleagues across the sector brought together through the National Engineering Policy Centre, are asking the government to develop a National Engineering & Technology Workforce Strategy that drives collaboration across departments, stems from long term industrial planning and sustainable funding from Treasury and includes Home Office Immigration policy. And crucially, it must work with and for the Department for Education.

EngineeringUK would like to see a commitment to the Workforce Strategy within the first 100 days of government and for it to be centrally led across government, for example by the Cabinet Office or Treasury. The work of existing skills taskforces would be brought together, rationalised, prioritised, and made coherent through such a strategy and drive collaboration across departments, reducing inefficient and siloed-thinking. 

This strategy would underpin a STEM education and skills plan that needs to: grow and sustain apprenticeships, especially for young people; commit to T Levels; provide comprehensive, high-quality careers provision for all students; and eliminate STEM teacher shortages. And on the latter point, the first 100 days would be a great time to reverse some short-sighted cuts to science CPD (professional development) that has been well-evidenced to substantively improve teacher retention and STEM teacher recruitment. 

In trying to meet our workforce needs, we’ll be going with young people’s flow given their passion for the environment. At the Big Bang Fair, which we ran last month, we saw tens of thousands of young people having potentially life-changing conversations with STEM employers. We also showcased young people’s entries to the 2024 Big Bang Competition – which encourages young people to work on a project of their choosing. So many entries had a green theme including solar powered projects, a renewable theme park using wind, solar and kinetic energy, and a portable pollution monitor. 

Spending three days surrounded by young people and the most engaging STEM exhibitors left me feeling optimistic. The challenges we face can be solved, but the new government must step-up to match the enthusiasm and thoughtfulness of those young Big Bang competitors, and build the plan for their future. 

Dr Hilary Leevers is CEO of EngineeringUK