British manufacturing not dead yet! 11/11/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in highly skilled, jobs.Tags: AWR, employees, engineers, Manufacturing, talent shortage
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Recently I was interviewed by Recruiter magazine about the staffing trends in the UK manufacturing sector. You can read the full article here, but here’s a summary of the important points.
There has been lots of doom and gloom talked about when discussing manufacturing lately, especially in regards to the Eurozone. But British manufacturing is by no means dead.
There is no denying that this sector has its fair share of obstacles. Yes, there is a particular challenge in regards to price sensitivity due to competition from countries with lower cost bases (such as many of the Far East), and the UK is also burdened with the newly implemented Agency Workers Regulations, but if you dig down it is not all negative.
The UK’s manufacturing sector has actually grown this year with the only real blip seen in August. This slight decrease can be simply explained by the seasonal period with many people going on holiday during August and Ramadan in the Middle East. But generally the sector is not doing so badly, especially specialist component manufacturers with large export order books which have seen to be robust.
There is a real demand in this country for skilled workers, especially with experience. We need to manage this talent as these people will help our manufacturing companies to thrive for years to come.
Britain’s brain drain 15/09/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, future engineers, highly skilled, skills shortages.Tags: engineers, talent shortage
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A report from the immigration think tank MigrationWatch has revealed that more than a million of the highest-qualified and best-trained Britons are moving abroad. The study also exposes that no other country loses as many university graduates through emigration as the UK.
This brain drain has resulted in Britain’s most talented and skilled moving to countries such as Australia, Germany and the US in order to boost their careers. Research from GfK (one of the largest market research companies in the world) suggests that people are driven by a desire to escape the high costs of living and the static wages of the country.
UK businesses face a significant loss of talent just at the time when they need it the most. The UK Border Agency Shortage Occupation list includes civil engineers, mechanical engineers and electrical engineers among others. It has been suggested that not enough efforts are being made to keep the brightest and the best in the country.
The brain drain is apparently higher among younger workers with 36% of those aged 18-29 willing to move. This is already beginning to impact on the UK engineering market in particular, which is now facing problems of an ageing workforce and not enough new talent to cover the deficit.
What needs to be done?
As talent plays an important role in helping a country develop, more needs to be done to keep hold of our skilled workers. The technical and engineering sector needs to cultivate a sense of security and hope among the elite and demonstrate confidence in the UK’s economy. The industry therefore needs to provide more competitive packages to workers to stay in the country such as employers offering subsidised training, and apprenticeships.
Other ways to encourage Britain’s talent into the UK industry could be to offer financial incentives to university students on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses, or for engineering graduates to pay less tuition fees than other subjects.
At CBSbutler we are trying to tackle this issue by supporting initiatives that encourage younger people into science, technology, engineering and maths careers. Experiencing firsthand the shortages in the industry, which is set to continue in the following years, we encourage teachers to dispel the myth that these subjects are geeky and discover how fun maths and science can be. Each year we hold an annual Festival of Science and Engineering with SATRO (a charity aimed at increasing the number of pupils taking up STEM subjects) and provide funding, PR promotion and judging support for various school competitions.
Let us know what you think. What more can be done to keep Britain’s talent at home?
Women engineers – where are they? 10/03/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Development, Engagement, Engineering, future engineers, highly skilled, Recruitment, skills shortages, women.Tags: Engineering, engineers, talent shortage, women
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Did you know that only 7% of engineers in the UK are women? This is the lowest number of women professionals in this sector in Europe – compared to 18% in Spain, 26% in Sweden and 20% in Italy. This research has been carried out by the UKRC, the leading UK organisation working to promote women’s participation in science, engineering and technology.
Training should be at the heart of everyone’s corporate strategy 23/02/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Development, Engagement, highly skilled, Recruitment, Training.Tags: employees
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‘Training valued by employees, overlooked by employers,’ was a headline that caught my eye this week.
According to a recent survey of 700 individuals conducted by a training provider, 57% were being denied funding by their employer for skills development, and 49% were not permitted to take time out of the office to receive invaluable training.
This shocked me. All successful companies know that if your staff are receiving the right training, they are being nurtured and developed into being the best that they can be, and they can positively apply their new found skills and experience to help make your business a success. (more…)
Will apprenticeships help bridge the skills shortages in engineering? 18/02/2011
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in Apprenticeships, CBSbutler, Engineering, future engineers, highly skilled, Recruitment.2 comments
The numbers of applicants signing up to study engineering at University has increased over the past year. But the fees are rising too. In 2012 they are set to almost double, to at least £7000. Will this have a major impact on students deciding whether to attend further education or carry out vocational training schemes and apprenticeships? I think it most certainly will. (more…)
Immigration rules need to be tightened 09/11/2010
Posted by CBSbutler Ltd in CBSbutler, Employment, highly skilled, immigration rules, migrants, Recruitment, tier 1 visa.1 comment so far
I appeared recently in Recruiter giving my thoughts on the current immigration rules which are stopping highly skilled migrant workers getting the type of jobs that they have trained hard for. In my opinion these rules need to be readjusted and tightened up; they are just not working.
The problem is when migrants come over on a Tier 1 visa they expect to be placed immediately into a highly skilled position; but because of the recession these positions are few and far between. In the article I talk about the need for the process to be readjusted so the visa can be justified at a lower level. Individuals who are employed in the lower skilled jobs could stay on the premise that they would enter the higher skilled roles when the demand returns. (more…)
