There’s a line from a recent Downing Street announcement that I think every engineering employer in this country has been waiting years to hear a Prime Minister say out loud: whether a young person chooses construction, coding, or classics, they’ll get “the skills you need and be given the respect you deserve.” It sounds obvious but it shouldn’t have taken this long to become government policy.
The announcement highlighted that 14-year-olds in England will now get early access to technical education, skills training, work experience, and direct connections with local employers, running alongside core academic subjects like English, maths, and science. Schools, colleges, mayors, and employers will work together to build routes into engineering, manufacturing, digital technology, and other growth sectors, tailored to what’s actually happening in their local economy rather than a template drawn up in Whitehall. Ofsted’s inspection criteria will change too, so that schools are credited for the quality of their technical provision.
It’s a direct response to Alan Milburn’s warning that Britain risks a “lost generation,” with over a million 16–24-year-olds currently not in education, employment, or training. Anyone who has spent time at electronics and engineering employers over the past decade has heard some version of the same complaint: brilliant products, ambitious projects, and nowhere near enough people coming through with the right hands-on skills to deliver them. Nearly half of firms report difficulty recruiting the people they need. That’s not a talent problem. That’s a pipeline problem, and it starts well before university.
I’ll say plainly what I hope this does, because it’s been a frustration of mine for years: I hope it moves the needle on the engineering skills gap, and I hope it moves the needle specifically for girls.
Read further news and technical articles in our August issue.