Brexit and Covid-19 head the list of challenges facing companies that are recruiting in the mechanical and engineering sectors, according to Portsmouth-based recruitment specialist On-Site Group.
Here’s what the company said about the challenges:
It goes without saying that the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in huge change and challenges for all industries, and engineering is no exception. However, while overcoming the effects of Covid-19 has certainly been a challenge, engineers have played key roles in the development and manufacture of technology to help protect people from coronavirus.
For example, engineers have been involved in creating ventilators, PPE and PPE-making equipment, as well as helping to convert conference and exhibition centres into hospitals, and speed up Covid-19 tracking and testing. Engineers have had to move quickly to find solutions to ever-changing challenges brought on by the virus.
In recent years, the engineering sector has been able to recruit from an international talent pool, and many universities have also attracted EU students. The results of Brexit may change this.
Other challenges brought on by Brexit may include the rights of overseas workers to work in the UK, and vice versa, complications to supply chains for parts and materials, and the need for further negotiations and restrictions as a result of different regulations in the UK and EU.
Climate change is a major challenge to engineers throughout the world. In the coming years, developing technologies and sustainable solutions to energy and other issues linked to climate change will continue to be a key concern.
As awareness of the climate crisis grows, and future generations of people (and engineers, in particular) are more environmentally conscious, then demand for engineers may increase dramatically. Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, not just certain sectors or portions of society, and engineers can play a key role in finding solutions.
With the need for new talent to enter the engineering industry, a key challenge is ensuring that young people receive relevant education to help them find their way into engineering roles. As the engineering sector continually breaks into many different specialised areas, days of one-method learning are long gone, so personalised education systems must be developed to ensure young people that want to be engineers gain the relevant knowledge.
Statistics in 2019 suggest that women account for just over 10% of engineering professionals. The challenge for engineering employers to diversify their workforce is widespread – the sector can stand to benefit considerably from bringing in more young women, as well as people from different social, economic and ethnic backgrounds, providing a much wider range of perspectives and insight to the engineering market.
While gender imbalance is certainly a challenge to engineering, it is very positive to see an increasing number of initiatives being introduced to help encourage more young women to study engineering and seek careers in the industry.
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