Gear Up Autumn 2017 PPMA Members Magazine Issue 3

The best route to
new talent
By Danny Reed, Business
Development Executive, PPMA BEST
PPMA BEST is a charitable arm
of the PPMA Group. One of its
aims is to encourage young
people to enter and develop
a career in science, technology,
engineering and maths (STEM) within
the processing, packaging, robotics,
automation and industrial vision
supply industries, through education,
training and support.
PPMA BEST has offered support
to member companies of the
PPMA Group since 2014 through
match-funded schemes, as well
as bursaries for apprenticeships
and graduates. During the 2017/18
academic year we will be increasing
this support by taking direct action
and running STEM activities in
schools, alongside a comprehensive
work experience programme.
The activities will be run for
whole groups of year 10 pupils and
will be fully inclusive and accredited
with the Industrial Cadets award.
These fantastic days – including a
headline event at the Manchester
Science Museum as part of the Robots
exhibition – will be fully led by The
Engineering Development Trust or The
Smallpeice Trust but importantly, they
will also be supported by engineers
from member companies, ensuring
that the events are industry-focused
and give the learners a fantastic
insight into the work of PPMA, BARA
and UKIVA firms.
These great initiatives will help
our members to form partnerships
with local schools and colleges and
develop a talent pipeline of potential
graduates or apprentices in the future.
To get involved or find out more,
contact:
danny.reed@ppma.co.uk
www.ppmabest.org.uk
View from the top
Inspiring the engineers
of tomorrow
By Bryan Berry, Programme Director, Tomorrow’s Engineers
Engineering accounts for 26 per cent of
all UK companies. It employs 5.7m people
and generates 26 per cent of UK GDP.
Engineering companies are projected to
have 2.65m job openings by 2024, 1.86m
of which will need engineering skills.
While there are some positive upward
trends to report in the talent pipeline,
the supply still falls significantly short
of demand. The annual shortfall of
engineers and technicians is projected
to be at least 45,000 but could be as
many as 85,000, largely depending on
the extent to which Brexit affects the
recruitment of international students.
If we are to address the skills gap,
we need to engage young people from
all backgrounds, so they understand 21st
century manufacturing and engineering.
We need more of them to understand
how what they learn at school is used in
the real world. Giving them the chance
to talk directly to engineers and engage
in hands-on activities that showcase and
contextualise engineering is at the heart
of the engineering community’s approach
to inspiring the next generation.
Apprenticeship recruitment is
picking up and 2015/16 saw a five per
cent growth in applicants to university
engineering courses; but it would be
wrong to be complacent. Although the
perception of engineering is improving,
to capitalise on this more must be done
to inspire young people and stop girls
dropping out of the talent pipeline at
each decision point.
From strong employment
prospects and competitive salaries to
a varied career at the cutting edge of
technological advances, engineering has
a lot to offer. We owe it to the potential
engineers of the future to give them
every opportunity to understand that and
encourage them to study the subjects
that allow them to be part of it.
Through targeted employer
outreach, regional and local events, an
industry-funded programme of targeted
interventions and high quality careers
resources, Tomorrow’s Engineers aims to
do just that. Tomorrow’s Engineers is led
by a growing network of companies of all
sizes working collaboratively, drawing on
dedicated local expertise and developing
strategic schools engagement activity
that is changing perceptions and opening
up the industry to young people from all
backgrounds.
www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk
3 www.ppma.co.uk