Engineering and technology have, it seems, an image problem for many young people – if only they knew about the myriad of roles, above average pay, and growth predicted to outstrip every other sector between now and 2030…
‘Not for me. Boring. Dirty. Bridges and stuff’…. unfortunately, this is a perception of engineering held by too many young people who therefore rule it out as a potential career choice. What is alarming, is the lack of awareness around the opportunities, the roles, and the skills needed – which we know are broad from problem-solving to creative thinking – for young people to make a proper informed career choice.
Engineering and technology account for 6.3 million roles in the UK, that’s about 19% of all jobs. Not-for-profit, EngineeringUK, predicts the sector will grow faster than other occupations by 2030, with a significant increase in demand for ‘green engineering jobs’ and ‘green skills’.
EngineeringUK is working hard to change perceptions. Working with industry, teachers and career leaders and policy makers to grow the scale and diversity of the country’s engineering and tech workforce so that the industry thrives and drives economic prosperity, improve sustainability and achieve net zero.
We aim to inspire and enable young people to see themselves working in engineering and technology careers in the future. We’ve just launched EUK Education where we bring together everything EngineeringUK does for schools, teachers, careers leaders and young people, including our programmes for schools such as Energy Quest, The Climate Schools Programme, our annual campaign Tomorrow’s Engineers Week and our Big Bang programme. We also have a wide range of resources accessible to teachers, careers leaders and work with industry to promote rewarding careers in engineering and technology.
We know young people who participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) careers activities and work experience are more likely to be interested in engineering careers. But too few young people fully understand what engineers, scientists and technicians do, the fantastic prospects and above average salaries on offer.
But money isn’t everything. Young people are motivated by careers that link with their passions, like the environment, so promoting these opportunities is also a key factor to driving up recruitment to our future workforce.
We need a stronger, more representative workforce for engineering and technology to thrive yet a recent report found the number of women working in engineering and tech has dropped by 38,000 – from 16.5% of the 2022 workforce to 15.7% of the 2023 workforce.
Recent research by EngineeringUK and the Royal Society also tells us that making the link between STEM careers and the ways in which they benefit society is a crucial motivating factor, especially for girls, who are woefully underrepresented in the subjects and technical and vocational pathways that lead into engineering. The research found only 12% of girls felt ‘being an engineer fitted well with who they were’ whilst just 16% of girls said they thought engineering was a suitable career for them. These are worrying trends that need to be addressed.
We need to instil a love of STEM in primary school children and help grow confidence and interest – particularly amongst girls. We know the gender divide in interest and confidence in subjects is there in Year 7, so the earlier young people are engaged in STEM the better. Thankfully, employers are realising this too and many are targeting their STEM outreach to both primary and secondary schools.
How STEM careers education is delivered was recently explored in the report ‘Advancing STEM careers provision in England’, where almost 200 teachers and those in career-related roles in schools were surveyed. Time constraints and funding were highlighted as very real issues. Over a third (36%) said the lack of funding meant that they were unable to support STEM work experience in their school, while 33% cited a lack of capacity to engage more with STEM employers. Worryingly, the report shows a quarter of Careers Leaders are being allocated less than 1 day a week to fulfil their roles.
The report makes the following recommendations to Government:
- A new long-term careers strategy for England with sufficient funding attached to enable schools and colleges to bring it to life
- Embeds careers into the subject content of the STEM curriculum and ensures that it highlights the diverse range of roles and people working in science, technology and engineering
- Ensures that careers advisers have the continuous professional development (CPD) necessary to have, and be able to convey, up-to-date knowledge of modern engineering and technology careers
- Develops a work experience strategy that links into and sits alongside a wider careers strategy
- Adopt an inclusive whole-school approach to careers provision led and guided by the careers leader
- Adopt a targeted approach to STEM careers provision
- Draw on support from their local Careers Hub to more consistently link their careers programmes with local and national labour market information and the connection with future career opportunities
We ask that STEM employers…
Continue to build out their engagement activities aimed at young people in Key Stage 3 alongside an improved offer of work experience opportunities
We ask that Career Hubs …
Focus on recruiting more local STEM employers to complete the Employer Standards and get actively involved in programmes such as Equalex and Teacher Encounters.
Our report arrives at a pivotal moment when the demand for STEM skills is growing, and the new government is developing its approach to meet these needs. It offers insights and recommendations to enhance STEM careers provision in schools and colleges in England and provide students with a solid understanding of STEM careers.
The government must take a more strategic approach to STEM education and skills. This includes greater investment in the careers system to realise the full potential of the billions of pounds invested in education and training. Young people need to be able to make the connection between their studies and their future careers.
But how can industry help itself to attract young people into the sector?
We know the post-16 landscape in England is being redeveloped with the formation of Skills England and we are actively involved in discussions about how to do this, drawing on our research evidence and the experiences shared by our corporate members. The success of the new body, for which legislation transferring powers from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) is currently passing through Parliament, will be determined by the expertise of its leadership, its engagement with industry, and its ability to link in seamlessly with the Government’s missions and industrial strategy.
We have already heard promising noises from the Government on its plans to overhaul the apprenticeships system through the creation of a new ‘Growth and Skills Levy’. As part of a ‘re-balancing’ of apprenticeships towards young people, the Government has committing to funding the development new foundation and shorter apprenticeships, under 12 months in length and targeted at young people at the outset of their careers, which will be eligible for funding under the reformed levy. At EngineeringUK, we have advocated for Government to ensure that every young person who wants an apprenticeship can access one, so this is a welcome announcement.
Innovative recruitment policies can play a key role in helping plug the shortfall and encourage young recruits in. We have heard some fantastic examples of companies taking a ‘less traditional recruitment’ approach to hiring young people who may not have all, but say, 80% of the required skill set. Other firms are abandoning CVs and looking at behaviours through gamification applications as an apprentice entry route, while others are broadening the available routes into roles, targeting those less likely to succeed through traditional academic routes.
Outreach and STEM engagement activities are crucial for informing and inspiring young people. In particular, work experience offers young people a vital insight into STEM careers. Hence, we have called on the new government to re-commit to its manifesto guarantee of two weeks’ work experience for every young person. This could take the form of bite-size ‘taster days’ in a variety of workplaces for each pupil, and we hope to work with the DfE on its design as part of a broader careers strategy.
But a very real issue is the fact that engineering isn’t currently visible in the school curriculum. The government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review presents a pivotal opportunity to address this and to help set young people up for success in life and work.
In the meantime, let’s ‘PR the sector’ and share positive stories of success of people from all backgrounds and pathways working in engineering and tech.
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