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The Future of Engineering: Where Are the Up and Coming Engineers?

Writer's picture: Andrew@IntuitiveCNCAndrew@IntuitiveCNC

Updated: Jan 26


An Engineer showing apprentices conventional turning
Apprentices learning the ropes of conventional turning

Hi All,

My first real post is to talk about the lack of up and coming engineers to replace the retiring generation of extremely knowledgeable ones . A topic I think everyone is concerned about which will decide the future of engineering ultimately.


An article I read stated :-


"98% of manufacturers believe that hiring and retaining skilled labour is a critical barrier to success, identifying the skills gap as their primary obstacle to growth. (75%)

Recruitment difficulties (36%) and talent retention issues (32%) are also seen as significant workforce issues for the sector."


I think the above figures are pretty close to the mark, I constantly see companies looking for programmers, machinists and fitters on LinkedIn & job websites. In a lot of cases it is the same companies over and over again which may just mean the company is growing and needs the extra heads but more often than not it is because the people going for some of these jobs that are pretty far from what is needed to perform the job well resulting in either an extended training period or not passing there probation at all, either one of these outcomes costs the company.


An extended training period means essentially prolonging the ROI as well as using the time of the skilled employees who are training them but this is worthwhile in the long term if they gain the skills and knowledge needed to be a valuable member of the team going forward.

The people however who don't even pass their probationary period have been deemed not worth providing any further training to at all meaning another costly recruitment process.

This can become an ongoing cycle in fact a lot of companies just keep recruitment ads going indefinitely as a bid to try find skilled people. I personally think that this is what has to be done to not miss out on the hidden gems that are out there in the short term however to rely on this method is not going to work long term because what happens when hypothetically all the good people end up in the roles they are happy in and aren't looking for any jobs anymore but growth in the manufacturing industry continues exponentially? A constant loop of trying to fit round peg employees into square pocket job roles.

The answer to this as a lot of people and companies already know are apprentices and overall education in the manufacturing industry. The issue is that the uptake of apprentices has decreased massively since even the time when I was an apprentice which was over 17 years ago where the technical college I attended had 3 classes of manufacturing apprentices to now in some areas struggling to fill one. The reasons for this vary and are no particular order.


  1. Some companies just want employees to hit the ground running and to get a job done which is fair enough but with a dwindling pool of employees this is no way to continue.


  2. Companies not actually knowing what is entailed to bring apprentices on board whether that be time or cost and if they put the time and money in what would be stopping them from taking the skills and moving onto other pastures after becoming "time served".


  3. The youth of todays perception of manufacturing is that it is dirty and dangerous in comparison to the now common remote customer service jobs and delivery driving.


  4. Lack of exposure to engineering in children as kids are now more and more using their screens for entertainment rather than following their mums and dads around while they are fixing things or trying to solve a household problem ( or was this just me as a child ) 🤔🤔


 

Solutions


I believe that they key to inspiring the dormant engineers in our society is a matter of exposing them to manufacturing at a young age. As a young child and as I grew older I had an obsession with taking apart things to see how they worked or just what was "behind the covers" sort of speak. I'll admit that I took apart a few watches to find an amazing array of different cogs and gears ( these watches never kept time again 😂 ). The digital ones, by removing the cover I broke the seal and lets just say they weren't waterproof anymore, Lessons were learnt.

My point is that I know I was not the only kid doing these types of things and if there had been school trips to engineering companies to see manufacturing, machining and assemblies of different components I would of been in heaven. Back then though I understand that these places would not of been the safest place for small children however now with the health and safety revolution, engineering companies with totally enclosed processes and door interlocks are in my opinion safe enough to allow trips for primary and secondary schools alike.

With companies now embracing automation and manufacturing increasingly more complex parts using simultaneous 5 axis milling machines turn-mills, engineering has never been cooler. Exposing our children to seeing robots in action, whether that be in assembly or machine tending has to awaken the children like myself so that as they get older and start to make decisions regarding their future they are much more likely to go down the paths of manufacture and engineering.

Maybe I will be told by every health and safety officer out there that this idea is just not possible but I challenge them to come up with ways that we could do it safely with small groups in just designated areas of the companies.


Another approach is to bring engineering into the classroom and when I was researching to see what has been done in this respect I came across the following article


Turns out the website which a non profit company called "Primary Engineer" has been working on the concept of bringing engineering to the classroom for a while now. The following is a snippet from their "about us" page.


Primary Engineer®, since 2005, have developed an engineering curriculum that spans Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Further Education institutions. Its core aims include; the development of children and young people through engagement with engineering, the promotion of engineering careers through inspiring programmes and competitions, the development of engineering skills for teachers and practitioners addressing the inequalities in engineering.

We developed a project-based learning approach to education which enables children and pupils to engage with practical math’s and science alongside creative problem solving and literacy. It has been described as STEM by Stealth® due to the integrated curriculum nature of the programmes which also develop resilience and curiosity.

Strong links to engineers and the industries they work in provides an opportunity for both pupils and teachers to expand their knowledge of careers, career paths and opportunities.


Primary Engineers report for 2023/24
Report for 2023/24 which shows amazing outreach and impact

Following my research on Primary Engineer I was so impressed I decided to contact them myself to register my interest in volunteering for their engineer program, I received an email the following day welcoming me to the team and that they would be in contact as soon as there are any opportunities for me to support them. The support ranges from just appearances for questions and answers with the kids to doing full workshops for vehicle and rail projects with the kids and their teachers in local schools ( Training days are provided so everyone is on the same page )


So in conclusion there is currently clear shortage of manpower in the engineering field for a host of different reasons but if companies and governments can continue with apprenticeships and incentivising them correctly then over time that pool of engineers will fill up again but I think the next 5 - 10 year period, experienced and knowledgeable engineers will be scarce so my advice look after the ones you have employ and develope any that you see potential in. Companies like Primary engineer are leading the way in inspiring the younger generations here in the UK, setting them up for possible careers in engineering and manufacturing. I'm sure there are other companies like them in other parts of the world so would love to hear from them and see if they have any further insights.


I am looking forward to the opportunity to help inspire the younger generations to become interested in engineering with Primary Engineer and plan to document my activities with them when that time comes on this blog.


Visit their website below for more information.



Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to contact me via LinkedIn or email if you have any questions or comments.


Kind Regards


Andrew











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