36 | Plant & Works Engineering www.pwemag.co.uk February/March 2024 Special Focus Skills & Training The engineering and infrastructure sector is developing at a rapid pace. There has been growth over the past decade, with the number of people working in engineering increasing from 5.4 million in 2010 to 5.7 million in 2021, with a peak of 6.3 million in 2019. PWE reports. On top of this, the UK is ramping up its focus on becoming a net zero economy, and a report commissioned by Engineering UK found that demand for engineers is predicted to grow faster than for other occupations, with vacancies for ‘green engineering’ roles increasing by more than half (55%) over the last 5 years. In light of this, the report also found that recruitment activity for engineering roles accounted for a quarter of all job postings in the UK, pointing toward a rising concern that has been looming in the engineering sector: skills shortages. These findings suggest that the skills gap is either greater in engineering than in other sectors, that employers are hiring for future growth or a combination of the two. Jonathan Hornagold, Apprenticeship Manager at Amey – a leading provider of fulllifecycle engineering, operations and decarbonisation solutions for transport infrastructure and complex facilities – agrees with this, explaining how the speed of digital and IT is impacting the engineering industry. He tells us: “Keeping pace with the changes that are occurring in the engineering industry – and beyond – is certainly a challenge for many businesses. “We want to ensure that we continue to serve those we work alongside with the best, most up-to-date solutions. Our purpose is to deliver sustainable infrastructure solutions and to protect our shared future; upskilling, therefore, is a massive part of that. “We want to be able to keep pace and traction when it comes to serving our clients and the public, while simultaneously meeting our employees’ needs.” Tackling the skills gap in the rapidly changing engineering industry
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