Introduction
Submitted to: All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs
The response addresses the following questions highlighted by this consultation:
- What are the current skills gaps in the UK to create the workforce of the future?
- What action could the government or other partners take to support all young people in the roles of the future?
- What could the government or other partners introduce over the next 5 to 10 years to help young people overcome the challenges and barriers to employment they currently face?
Who this is for
- MPs
- Policy makers
Key recommendations
Engineering and technology are vital to the UK’s economy, and to developing the critical infrastructure required to drive innovation, improve sustainability and meet net zero targets. However, these areas are suffering critical skills shortages that limit productivity, and in some cases, lead industry to locate outside of the UK. EngineeringUK wants to see more young people from all backgrounds being inspired into engineering employment to tackle the skills shortages and deliver the high skill high pay jobs of tomorrow.
To achieve this, we want to see government develop a STEM education strategy that covers:
- A guarantee that all pupils receive high quality, up-to-date STEM careers advice and guidance, supported by additional funding of £40 million annually to support careers activities in schools
- Boosting physics, maths, computer science and D&T teacher recruitment and retention so that pupils in all regions are taught by subject specialists
- Raising and maintaining teaching quality by providing ringfenced STEM subject specific Continuing Professional Development for primary and secondary teachers, which is evidenced to improve retention
- Accelerating the expansion of technical education provision and higher technical qualifications
- Reducing barriers to provision and promoting high-quality engineering apprenticeship opportunities to all young people with a focus on widening participation.
