Doug Anderson, Sales & Marketing Manager at Guttridge Ltd,
discusses the importance of attracting future engineers.
As a company, it۪s important to not only chase the next
customer, but also chase the next employee. The engineering sector should
constantly attract new talent and actively encourage more females into what has
traditionally been a male-dominated environment. It۪s vital that future
engineers should be motivated and passionate at the earliest stage in their
professional development.
Why work in engineering?
The engineering sector is regarded as a cornerstone of the UK۪s
economic progression. In the future, engineers will be charged with producing
cutting-edge technology and building structures that will help the UK tackle
any renewable energy issues. To achieve this, there needs to be as many people
entering the industry as possible. Organisations must remove any existing
preconceptions and make engineering an attractive career path for all young
people, by taking actions to promote and encourage working in the industry. How
do we do this? Well here are four tactics to help secure the future engineering
talent.
Generate interest early
Firstly, it۪s vital to ensure that children and students of all
ages, male and female, are informed about engineering. There are many different
disciplines within the sector, offering different opportunities. Young students
who are passionate about engineering and keen to enter the industry should have
the opportunity to make informed educational decisions in order to realise
their ambition.
The education sector and schools are improving increasing
awareness in the sector, by using dynamic teaching methods to help bring
science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) to life. Attracting girls to
the industry is a huge priority as they are still scarce in the engineering
profession despite the career opportunities it offers.
As well as emphasising the importance of STEM to students, male
and female, it is just as important that teachers and parents are aware of the
importance and benefits that working in engineering can bring.
Earning and learning
In the past, engineering companies tend to lack an on-campus
presence at schools, colleges and universities which hasn۪t helped graduate
intake into the sector. However, in recent years the visibility in terms of
career potential are now in front of young talent.
The cost of attending university deters many young people, so it۪s
crucial to make them aware of the existence of other routes to a successful and
rewarding career. Apprenticeships and internships offer an opportunity to learn
whilst earning a wage, and can become a huge step to further education later in
life. In-house training is offered alongside fully funded qualifications to
help employees enhance their formal education. Organisations need to provide
these development opportunities to help attract engineers from a wider range of
social backgrounds. Learning on the job can produce more well-rounded employees
as it requires hard work and dedication.
Removing industry preconceptions
In the past engineering has been perceived as a male-oriented
industry, and the lack of female engineers in the UK suggests that very little
has changed. Given the diversity roles within the sector, there is absolutely
no justification for this.
Perhaps as an industry we need to effectively relay the message
that a career in engineering offers a wealth of opportunities that actually
take place in very modern and high-tech environments, as opposed to grubby
ones.
Wealth of opportunity
The scale of opportunity that engineering can provide for entry
level students is superb. Engineering is an exciting career field to be
involved in, and new opportunities are always available for qualified
engineers. It is a flourishing and fast growing sector, not to mention
engineering graduates earn some of the best salaries in the country.
Many engineering businesses have offices overseas, so there are
also opportunities for graduates to travel abroad, especially to the MENA area.
When it comes to interviews and the selection process, recruitment
of new staff in the engineering sector needs to be based on talent alone,
rather than gender or any other arbitrary factor. The more that a company
builds its female workforce, the more women will be attracted to fill positions
in the industry, and the industry will thrive.
It is therefore up to those currently involved in the engineering
sector, to spread the word and improve the appreciation of a career which knows
no bounds, and continue to do what we can for our future engineers.
At Guttridge
we encourage the STEM subjects by working with The Imagineering Foundation to
introduce school children to the fascinating world of engineering and
technology. We are seeing extremely encouraging results with our local school
and are working hard to ensure the children are inspired to consider a career
in engineering.