Engineering Careers In The UK
Engineering forms a vital part of the UK economy in terms of significant turnover and employment. There is a continued drive by the collective engineering community to inspire the next generation of engineers to continue the growth and success of the industry that is prompting many graduates, school and college leavers to ask the question how to get into engineering in 2020 and 2021?
Engineers are in high demand in the UK as well as the rest of the world. Filling the demand in the UK has the potential of generating an additional £27 billion per year for the economy from 2022, according to research published in 2015 in Engineering UK, The State of Engineering.
The current number of engineering graduates and apprentices will have to double in order to meet the projected demand. It is estimated that engineering companies will need approximately 182,000 engineers per year up to 2022; however, currently, there is a shortfall of about 55,000 skilled engineers per year.
Skilled Workers in Short Supply
The engineering sector in the UK is experiencing a critical shortage of skilled workers in the fast-paced engineering industry. Even though some engineering-related industries like mining and quarrying are in decline, more than 50 branches of other industries are actively seeking new recruits. Qualified graduates can expect to work anywhere from building construction in their own local communities to aerospace engineering.
In a bid to get Britain building, the UK government has committed to spending £600 billion on construction projects projected or already in the pipeline. The National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline contains a vast scale of public and private investments expected and underway by the year 2028. Investment in roads, schools, and hospitals have been set out, alongside proposals on how to use modern technology to build infrastructure in the most effective way.
Ministers are encouraging the use of modern technologies to ensure maximum efficiency in the construction of these projects such as using the latest digital technologies in the manufacture of components before being sent to construction sites for assembly. Robert Jenrick, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, said that the government is committed to renewing infrastructure in order to drive economic growth in all parts of the country. Over the course of the next few years, the highest sustained levels of investment in economic infrastructure in over 40 years will be reached.
2020 Infrastructure Budget Announcement
With an investment of £600 billion in projects that include the UK’s largest-ever investment in its strategic road network, the government is taking the long-term action necessary to raise productivity and strengthen the economy for the future. It includes schemes like the £28 billion national roads fund in Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s recent Budget announcement as well as other flagship projects like upgrading the M6 to a ‘smart’ motorway; the East Wall Rail; and the largest offshore wind farm in the world, Hornsea Project One.
Career Opportunities For Engineering Graduates
The future is bright with plenty of career options available eg https://marketbusinessnews.com/engineering-career-opportunities-future/230937/. According to Jim O-Sullivan, the CEO of Highways England, they recognise the efficiency and productivity challenges currently faced by the construction industry which is why they encourage more computer-led automation, design, and pre-assembly of components across all of their construction activities. As well as driving efficiency and productivity it reduces delays and improves worker safety. In their next five-year road investment programme for road improvement schemes and smart motorways, they will adopt ever-increasing levels of off-site construction and automation.
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