Institutional Failure

Institutional Failure

In the last blog I mentioned how there are more technical vacancies than engineers to fill them in the UK. 

So why is this? 

The first reason a lot of people give me is that not enough people are coming through the colleges and universities with engineering qualifications, and this is correct. 

However more people are leaving the engineering field at the beginning of their career and also leaving early towards the end of their career rather than not going for a career in engineering in the first place. As an industry the whole engineering sector including colleges, employers, developers, governments, local councils, recruitment companies and institutions need to focus on the real reasons why there is a shortage. 

There is not just one answer. 

Many women I’ve known in the engineering sector have left as they felt it was chauvinistic. Having witnessed this I can’t deny engineering has a male dominated ‘old boys’ feel in some cases. Women are also not promoted or paid as well as men. 

Unlike I.T, leisure or retail industries, engineering is not seen as ‘hip’ enough for teenagers to consider it as a career. 

I didn’t, I was never cool at school, but really wanted to look for something cool for a career, I just fell into engineering by being naturally good at numbers, designing and problem solving. Something I and other business owners have to do every day. 

Engineering Institutions traditionally represent the engineering employer and employee. There role was, and still is to lobby government, academies and engineering sectors in improving working practices, standards and  qualifications. However, today that is not enough. Institutions need to work closely with colleges, universities and employers in encouraging people into the industry, and work even harder to keep them there. 

Another role institutions need to do is liaise more with recruitment companies to promote the commercial sides of the sectors. Engineers need to know about commercial practices. Recruitment companies need to do a lot more in working with colleges and universities to encourage graduates to take roles in engineering. 

Even more than that, institutions have to be going into schools at an early stage and make pupils excited about engineering. To make people excited about engineering institutions, government, recruitment companies and academies need to stop thinking of engineering as just road building, metal shaping, telephone fixing and boring (in both senses). 

Engineering involves rockets, inventions, technologies, nature, practical science and much more. Institutions must modernise fast, change their working practices, keep up with the technology and discoveries of tomorrow, then start preaching to convert. 

My next blog will discuss the exciting engineering projects being undertaken in the UK this year.

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