ANNUAL MANUFACTURING REPORT 2016

ECONOMY, POLICY & GROWTH
ANNUAL
MANUFACTURING
REPORT2016
15 Do you think enough is being done to make manufacturing an
attractive career choice?
2015
2014
62%
No, not enough
is being done
0%
39%
“Fundamental lack of industry understanding
within academia. Therefore they avoid.”
“Schools still not encouraging careers in
manufacturing. Some colleges not providing
the real skills required by employers.”
And some suggestions as to how to improve:
“The general perception of manufacturing is
40 years out of date and so is not attractive
to a lot of young people. There needs to be
more industry and education contact. The
Baker/Daring university technical colleges
are a good idea.”
2013
59%
65%
41%
32%
3%
“The UK should replicate
Germany’s appreciation of
Engineer qualifications”
Yes, enough is being done
There is some good work being done but there should
be more
No, not enough is being done
Finally in this section, we asked if enough is being done to make
manufacturing an attractive career. The answer is clear: No. Not a
single respondent is happy with the current situation. More than 60%
said that there is not enough good work being done; the remainder
(39%) said that there is some good being done but there is a need
for more.
We gave respondents an opportunity to expand on their answers in
their own words. Some strong opinions were expressed:
“We have a serious skills shortage within the Manufacturing and
Engineering Sector.”
“Engineering has been portrayed as a greasy overall wearing
profession. The UK still produces the best engineers in the world but
not nearly enough of them.”
“More encouragement given to employers to
offer the right raining and career prospects,
established learning sources are not in tune
with requirements, also it is too difficult to
make profit; not enough available to re-invest
in our people. We like others do as much
training as possible but it is always restricted
by insufficient budgets.”
“Manufacturing is becoming more popular
as a career but more skilled new people are
still needed.”
“We struggle to attract engineering
graduates despite paying above market
rates in an area of high unemployment. There
are simply not enough graduates to meet
demand.”
“Too much concentration on functional
design and not on how it is to be made and
supported through its useful life.”
And the very simple but heartfelt:
“The Government actions strongly indicate that
manufacturing is considered a declining UK activity.”
“Where are the apprentices?”
“Inward investment and support for manufacturing has for too long
been a poor relation to the service industries.”
“There are a plethora of initiatives, but no clear enough overall
strategy and enough incentive to encourage talented people to
pursue a career in engineering/manufacturing.”
Our sincere thanks to all who participated in
this part of the survey.