Industry, government and academia are at risk of stifling economic growth if there isn’t a greater focus on skills based learning, such as work experience and internships, says the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), as a new campaign Work Experience for All is launched today.
With 62% of engineering employers reporting that graduates don’t have the right practical skills for today’s workplace, and up to 30% of engineering students going into careers outside engineering**, the IET believes more can be done to tackle the engineering skills shortfall and now calls on the Government to develop a national work experience framework.
The IET’s campaign, which comes during National Work Experience Week (16-20 October 2017), brings together employers, universities, further education colleges and policy makers to collaborate on developing the quality of work experience and internships for those in education or training, to improve the supply of engineers and technicians coming into the industry.
Commenting on the new campaign, John Perkins, Chair of the IET Skills and Education Policy Panel, said: “As we are facing an engineering shortfall in the next decade, compounded by uncertainty around skills following Brexit, there is deep concern that access to our next generation of work-ready engineers is being stifled by a lack of quality work experience and internships.