Filling the skills gap

It has long been discussed that there having been any proper full apprenticeships for over 20 years. With the decline in manufacturing investment and increase in service industries entering engineering became somewhat unfashionable and an unstable career choice.

In recent years it seems we are all starting the rue the day that the younger generation stopped learning and training in the precision skills and hands on work. Instead computer programming and IT has been the focus for developing transferable skills and creating wealth.

This leaves us with a problem of an ageing workforce in the really specialist jobs. We have been trying to recruit a proficient toolmaker for over 5 years. The business is expanding and we having to place tooling work outside to meet our customers demands. This year we have two toolmakers due to retire.

So the option seems to be, entice them to stay on longer whilst we train from scratch. We have one trainee who at about 25 years old, came with experience of using Architectural drawings, he had a working knowledge of trig and some CAD experience and has excelled with the business quite quickly.

We’ve interviewed many young people though, who seem only to be there because it is a job on offer, not because they actually want to learn, develop and have what is potentially a very stable career path for the future.

There have been some who want to work, but their basic knowledge of maths or even what 20mm looks like or 2cm or an inch. (When asked the responses ranging from holding fingers close together to arms wide apart.) We’ve even had lads in from a 2 year engineering course who didn’t understand that a drill only turns one way to actually cut into something, or didn’t know the word thread and what it was. They had not been allowed to change bits and cutters due to health and safety. In those circumstances sometimes you are battling with mis-information or mis-applied information that makes training difficult. We have to ask ourselves who is designing the courses and where is the applied engineering part of it.

So the answer seems to be that an old style practical, learning on the job apprenticeship or traineeship is the only way forward.

We are trying again to recruit a trainee, with the desire to work with their hands, learn and apply the learning to the job in hand.

Hopefully, we’ll be successful this time and again in a few months. We have to fill this void and show people that manufacturing in a rewarding and worthwhile career choice.

If you know anyone that has this basis of practicality and good maths or with some experience that needs developing. We are willing to invest the time and training in them to make them a valued asset to us for the long term.