Students urged to become engineers

More students need to pursue a career in the engineering and manufacturing sector, it has been suggested.

Managing Director of EMS Sigma, Roy Davies, has suggested that the current skills gap will not be improved if more young people continue to shun the industry, Online Recruitment magazine reports.

'With not enough young people undertaking engineering degrees or HNDs, there are, quite simply, insufficient qualified engineers coming through the ranks - and problems will increase as manufacturing continues to grow,' he warned.

The skills gap may only begin to improve in five years from now, Mr Davies added.

Furthermore, the number of apprenticeships in engineering has hit 'an all-time low,' he said, with the main shortages being in mechanical and electrical roles, as well as chemical engineering.

Meanwhile, John Slaughter of the Home Builders Federation said that the construction industry had overcome a skills shortage due to the influx of migrant workers in recent years.