Company Budgets ‘Not Allowing For Engineering Training’

A lack of budget is the main barrier to more people being able to access in-work training in the manufacturing and engineering sector, new research has found.

Production Engineering Solutions reported on the findings of a study by Bosch Rexroth, which found that 43 per cent of engineers working in manufacturing firms stated that budget constraints were one of the main things preventing a more rigorous training programme at their workplace.

Equally worrying is the fact that half of respondents to the survey said that they expect the training budgets at their firm to stagnate over the next five years.

The report notes that this lack of training is impacting the adoption of Industry 4.0 among UK firms.

Richard Chamberlain, service product manager at Bosch Rexroth, told the publication that it’s essential for companies to change their approach to training.

“We must upskill the workforce and empower engineers with the skills they need to use Industry 4.0 technologies, whilst offering continuous development opportunities to individuals is vital,” he stated.

Firms may want to look at how instrumentation and control courses may benefit their workforce, for instance, when deciding what training to offer in the coming year.

Last month, one engineering expert in the automotive sector said that more engineers with experience in artificial intelligence and human-machine interfaces are required in the automotive engineering world because of the rise of electric and autonomous vehicles.

Speaking to the Engineer, Joerg Schlinkheider, chief engineer for automated driving at Jaguar Land Rover, explained that as new technologies develop, there are opportunities for those with different expertise to join the industry, or for existing engineers to upskill.