School leavers and other young people are being urged to consider engineering careers.
Actuate UK, a group of eight trade, technology and professional bodies representing engineering services professions, is spearheading a campaign to encourage more young people to take up the many job opportunities emerging in a sector that offers the chance to tackle the climate crisis and provide better living and working conditions for their communities.
According to the government’s latest figures, there were more than half a million young people unemployed in May, with thousands more now joining the jobs market this summer.
While some industries are struggling to recover from the pandemic, the engineering services sector is bouncing back strongly and actively seeking new recruits. It is at the forefront of efforts to tackle the climate crisis and to improve living and working environments at a time when people are starting to return to offices and public buildings.
One employer in engineering services said, “With over 200,000 redundancies and over 9 million workers on furlough at the height of the lockdowns [December 2020 data], young people want to make informed decisions about how to take the next step and find rewarding, challenging and fulfilling jobs.”
There are a wide range of apprenticeships linked to engineering professions and at different levels including Degree level apprenticeships. They cover a variety of professions in the electrical, plumbing, lift, heating, ventilating, air conditioning, building services design and building services engineering industry.
Actuate UK also believes the opportunity to ‘earn while you learn’ is proving attractive to many young people worried about running up large student debts. This is driving demand for apprenticeships that classroom combines teaching with on-the-job training with an employer. Most of these lead to full-time employment.
“Some sectors are faring better than others and the building services industry urgently needs a highly motivated new workforce,” said Helen Yeulet, director of training and skills at the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). “It is at the forefront of the drive towards net zero carbon emissions, so offers rewarding, long-term careers in jobs that rely on the latest digital techniques and innovations like AI.
“As well as for young people entering the jobs market for the first time, this is also a great opportunity for anyone who might be thinking about changing career direction and looking for an area with an exciting future and brighter prospects.”
In 2020, Actuate UK Members ECA & BESA partnered with TESP, the Renewable Energy Association, Solar Energy UK and others to produce the Skills4Climate industry report, examining ways to ensure the electrotechnical sector has the required skills base to deliver Net Zero by 2050.
The report found that 88 per cent of engineering services employers support a green recovery, yet a quarter (25%) said they would not be able to find competent workers to meet an increase in demand for net zero technologies. Almost three quarters (72%) said that poor careers advice for young people was the main barrier to new entrants to the industry.
