Manufacturing pain points. What are they?

One salient point to come out of this report is the fact that there isn’t a shortage of jobs in manufacturing; offering plenty of opportunities, and of higher value, than it has done for decades. It offers real training and the prospect of acquiring transferable skills to last a lifetime.

It opens up global opportunities; if you’re an engineer you can go anywhere in the world. As is the case with a number of different industries, not just Manufacturing, the skills gap remains and some of the needs are in crucial areas. The preparedness of young people for the world of manufacturing is unacceptable and many that took the survey described the preparedness of 16 and 18-year-olds as “poor” or “very poor”. While it has been suggested that the abolition of compulsory work placement may have had an effect, the likeliness of two weeks out of 11 or 13 years of compulsory education really making that much of a difference, is unlikely. The problem is deeper-seated and rooted in a longstanding disconnection between schools and employers. Shortages exist in engineering and automation; toolmaking; technical and practical positions; and in problem solving; planning and organisation; and leadership and management roles.

Written communication skills seem to be in shorter supply as well. As well as government encouragement and support, UK Manufacturing needs employees with the right skills. This year’s survey makes very clear that major problems persist, in finding personnel with the right qualifications and experience.

This has been something Mane have been very mindful of and we have been incredibly proactive with trying to solve these issues, by undertaking a number of things designed to ensure that the people we supply are fully equipped, prepared and skilled enough to perform to a level our clients expect. Our Manufacturing team have introduced on-site trade testing, based around our clients specific requirements, ensuring we are supplying the very best candidates, with the right skills in place. Not only that, but our staff have had experience working in the manufacturing industry themselves, so they are acutely aware of what is required.