Govt Called On To Harness Potential Of UK Engineering Talent

Before the General Election on June 8th, engineers around the UK are calling on the next government to make sure that the capability and potential of the engineering talent in the country is fully harnessed.

The Royal Academy of Engineering has set out five key priorities that will ensure the UK can meet future challenges that society will face, with engineering holding the solutions to issues like clean food, energy and water for all, as well as raising living standards.

The priorities include focusing on the education and skills system, which is currently being threatened by a severe skills shortage in the sector. It’s essential that home-grown talent is maximised by focusing on diversity and inclusion. Vocational education and training will need to be fully funded, prioritised in the same way that higher education is.

“These goals cannot be achieved in the life of a single parliamentary term: a consistent, long-term, whole-systems approach is needed to maximise the UK’s potential,” it was observed.

Back in January, the Academy welcomed the government’s consultation on industrial strategy, saying it is the prime opportunity to ensure that the engineering and manufacturing sectors are reinvigorated in order to fully benefit the country as a whole.

The government’s strategy focused on ten pillars, including research and innovation, bolstering trade and inward investment, coming up with a proper system for technical education, and upgrading infrastructure around the UK. It also recognised the role that the engineering sector has to play with regard to supporting communities and furthering economic growth.

Interested in finding out more about engineering training courses? Give us a call today.