The work is there; we just need the people

ctor, it is suffering from a skills shortage that is becoming a very real concern.

Whilst I was compiling material for the supplement, I was sent an interesting but very concerning article from Chris Charman, chief executive of the International Marine Contractors Association IMCA). Please do read the full article on the blog http://bit.ly/1og7Z4i.

IMCA is an international trade association representing companies and organisations engaged in delivering offshore, marine and underwater solutions. The article highlights a severe general skills shortage in the offshore industry but focuses mainly on a sub-division of it – remote systems and ROVs – where the problem is particularly prevalent.

Whilst many of us may be alarmed by the skills shortage in engineering generally, I think if we’re honest it comes as no surprise. Respective governments in the 80s and 90s neglected manufacturing in this country and it’s a sad but true indictment of our society that kids in the main would rather play on games consoles than build Airfix kits or construct architectural masterpieces from Meccano sets. The media and peer pressure on our children (and adults for that matter) to own the latest electronic device from Samsung or Apple is almost unbearable. Nothing else seems to get a look in.

Addressing the manufacturing skills shortage is a complex beast and the wheels of recovery are turning, albeit slowly, but part of the problem is that the sector is so diverse. The skillsets an electrical engineer needs for example are totally different to those an engineer would need working in the middle of the North Sea on an oil rig. Many of the skills needed can be so specific to a particular industry that a ‘one size fits all’ approach simply won’t cut the mustard. Some are transferrable but certainly not all.

The work is there, we just need the people: the 2014 EngineeringUK report states that the UK will need approximately 87,000 engineers per year for the next 10 years to ensure that it can compete globally; Mr Charman’s article estimates that at least 2,000 ROV pilot technicians will be required in the next three years to meet demand.