Beatrice Barleon
Head of Policy and Public Affairs, EngineeringUK
Industry needs to partner with government and educational institutions to help grow the workforce.
The manufacturing sector is vital to the UK economy, driving innovation, productivity, and growth. It contributes around £220 billion per year to the economy.1 However, attracting and retaining new talent continues to be a significant challenge.
New Talent crucial for the sector to thrive
Apprenticeship starts in the engineering and manufacturing sectors have declined since 2017/18 and have stalled at around 46,000 starts per year (2023/2024).2 This is worrying considering manufacturing employers reporting skills shortages. In 2023, we ran an inquiry in partnership with Lord Willetts and Lord Knight, to understand the reasons behind the downward trend. These are outlined in our Fit for the Future report which suggests many businesses, particularly smaller firms, are struggling to find the capacity and resources to take on young apprentices. There are concerns too about the quality of training provision and barriers of complying to apprenticeship standards.
Bringing new talent into the manufacturing workforce through apprenticeships is vital. We support efforts by government to find ways to increase the uptake and offer of apprenticeships, particularly for younger people. We welcomed the announcement of foundation apprenticeships at the end of 2024 but would urge government not to rush into introducing them. It is vital that there is clarity about whom they are for, what problem they look to address, how they fit into the wider system and how and if they can work for the engineering and manufacturing sectors.
We also need more women and more
currently underrepresented groups to
join the manufacturing workforce.
Stakeholder collaboration to strengthen diversity
We also need more women and more currently underrepresented groups to join the manufacturing workforce. For this to happen we need businesses to offer more opportunities and look at their recruitment as well as employment practices, and we need more young people to be aware of the apprenticeship options available to them and how to access them.
Collaboration between industry, government, and educational institutions is crucial for that. For example, partnerships between businesses and schools and colleges can help raise awareness of the opportunities available in the sector and encourage young people to consider a career in manufacturing. By working together, these stakeholders can develop targeted initiatives such as work experience or pre-apprenticeship programmes that address the skills gap and promote careers in manufacturing.
[1] UK Manufacturing The Facts 2024 | Make UK
[2] Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK
