Huge increase in UK engineering jobs predicted
Half a million skilled workers will be needed to fill manufacturing and engineering jobs in the UK over the next eight years according to a new report.
500,000 people will be needed to fill the engineering job vacancies created by industrial demand according to Engineering UK.
It predicts that nearly 350,000 skilled workers will be needed to fill jobs in the railway and transport industry alone by 2017. Nearly 400,000 people will also be needed to fill recruitment needs for the construction industry.
The dramatic predictions have been made on the basis of government plans to revamp the country's ailing transport and power infrastructure. Civil engineering projects such as a proposed high-speed railway line, or ten new nuclear power stations, will place an unprecedented demand on the resources of the UK's engineering talent pool. It is predicted that 1000 new apprentices and graduates per year until 2025 will be required to replace existing nuclear workers and meet the demands of the expanded UK nuclear industry.
Paul Jackson, the chief executive for EngineeringUK, said that "Government, business and education providers" must co-operate to "develop a clear road map for the UK engineering sector".
Speaking on New Civil Engineer.co.uk, a website for those working in civil engineering jobs, Jackson proposed a "long term strategy" for engineering in the UK.
As well as regulatory incentives such as tax breaks for small and medium-sized businesses, Jackson recommended that a strategy incorporated "major infrastructure projects" and that employers and educators "invest in new skills and technologies".