The engineering industry has a problem. There isn’t enough talent available. 

And it’s impacting the industry in a big way. So much that 37% of engineering professionals surveyed claim the shortage has the most significant impact on their sector. 

It’s impacting the industry’s pockets too. Lack of skilled labour causes delays, and “According to some estimates, the shortage of STEM skills is costing UK businesses £1.5 billion a year in recruitment, temporary staffing, inflated salaries, and additional training costs”. 

Strangely, this is happening while more young people than ever are taking up STEM subjects in higher education. However, while more are studying STEM, few end up working in those fields.
In fact, only 24% of STEM graduates find a career in STEM within six months of graduation. This indicates that there’s something deeply wrong with the recruitment process. 

So, what’s the solution?

We know there’s a disparity between the number of people graduating with relevant STEM degrees and the number of people who eventually become engineers. Bridging the skills gap at this level is seen as key to rebalancing the shortage. In effect, by doing so, you’re cultivating the talent pools of the future.

Here’s how you can address and overcome the problem:

Hire Graduates
Many companies take graduates on, but few have a developed scheme in place. Take note from larger companies and aim to upskill graduates into complete and qualified talent by the end of the scheme. 
To attract graduates, consider your digital footprint. Many will pursue your careers page, social media, Glassdoor etc., before considering your firm. The more attractive you can make your firm online seem, the more talent will head your way. 

Master the interview process
When hiring an engineer, you’ll want to know if they have the technical skills. So it can be tempting to throw out a technical test during the first stage of an interview. However, this can alienate candidates early on, and first impressions count. 

Instead, Involve your A players as soon as you can in the interview process. Ideally, with the first call. They’re able to talk through the same technical sensibilities you would ordinarily test for, only far more naturally. 

Review your offering
Candidates shouldn’t judge your benefits package exclusively on finances. Now more than ever, they’re interested in factors like flexible working, wellbeing initiatives, Diversity and inclusion. 
Flexible working is the one benefit most candidates want, and you may begin to lose sound engineers if you neglect to offer it in some form. However, we understand that permanent remote work isn’t going to be possible for everyone joining your business. But with talent pools of skilled engineers shrinking, is it worth taking a step back and asking whether your engineers need to be in the office five days a week? 

Train to retain
To keep an engineer in your firm, they need a reason to stay. They must feel engaged enough to want to remain with you for the long term. The three main drivers for retaining a highly skilled worker are as follows: “the ability to be self-directed, getting better at the job, and having a purpose in one’s endeavors”. 

Are you offering that to your engineers? Because at their core, they’re cerebral creatures. The types who’d take toys apart when they were kids then put them back together. They never lost that spark. So keeping them mentally stimulated is vital for retention. 

To help you understand more about the skill shortage and gain a deeper, more actionable understanding of how to overcome it, we composed a downloadable eGuide that elaborates on all these points and more in greater detail. 

To download, click here to fill in a short form, and it’s yours. 

We also know what makes engineers tick - speak to us at Enterprise about how to keep them engaged and add value to the business and themselves.

The engineering skills shortage is a hot topic in the sector right now. It's what everyone is talking about. And rightly so, because it's a huge problem for the industry.

We know we need to address it, but how?

To overcome the shortage, we first need to understand why it's happening. We've written this article to give you the basics of where the skill shortage started.

A good place to start would be the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). SOL highlights jobs facing a shortage of skilled labour, and the Migration Advisory Committee compiles it under the UK Government. It means special dispensations are made regarding immigration if it makes sense to bridge local skill gaps with talented migrant workers.

The idea is to encourage importing qualified talent where it doesn’t exist, effectively making it easier to recruit from international talent pools.

Engineering professionals of all classifications feature heavily on the latest version of the SOL and have done for some years now. Put simply: there aren’t enough skilled Engineers available to fill all the roles the industry has to offer, which sounds like a great problem to have. Only, the skills shortage is causing problems for businesses beyond the occasional recruitment headache.

A survey conducted by industry magazine The Engineer revealed the extent of the impact. 37% of Engineering professionals (out of 250 surveyed) identified the skills deficit as having the biggest impact on their sector.

“According to some estimates, the shortage of STEM skills is costing UK businesses £1.5 billion a year in recruitment, temporary staffing, inflated salaries and additional training costs.”

And yet, more young people than ever before are taking STEM subjects.

So, what's causing it?

Figures from the National Audit Office (NAO) show just 24% of graduates in STEM subjects are known to be working in a STEM occupation six months later. Even despite rising salaries in order to keep good people at this level.

A study conducted at Universities Leicester and Warwick attempted to work out where most STEM graduates were going in their careers, if not a technical position in the industry. According to researcher Dr Patrick White: “STEM graduates were more likely to work in teaching and management than in key ‘shortage areas’ such as science, engineering and ICT.”

The same study revealed there was “no evidence of older workers moving into STEM careers later in life” either. So there’s a lack of qualified talent entering and remaining in the industry, to begin with, but this isn’t the only factor.

Covid-19 has been the defining factor for all industries. While the world now expects to work remotely, it’s very rare an engineer is able to. This immediately limits your access to talent.

To overcome it you'll need to...

There are a few things you can do in order to tackle the shortage:

• Hire Graduates

• Get Your Interview Process Right

• Review Your Offering

• Train to retain

We've recently composed a downloadable eGuide that elaborates on all of these points in more detail. If you'd like to download it, click here to fill in a short form and it's yours to keep.

We also know what makes engineers tick - speak to us at Enterprise Recruitment about how to keep them engaged at the same time as adding value to the business and themselves.

 Video calling is almost always the first step of any interview process. It may sound obvious, but it's amazing how differently people can treat a video call/interview to a face-to-face interview. Follow these best practices to make the most of your chance when engaging with your potential new team:

Make sure you are presentable

Ditch the home clothes and make sure that you dress up in the same fashion that you would have dressed for a face-to-face interview. A first impression here is just as important as it would be if you were meeting in person, but it's also proven to get you in the right mental state to perform at your best.

Don't set up in your laundry room (or anywhere messy)

Okay, I know you probably won't set yourself up in the laundry room, but this is important. Make sure that the surrounding area - the room that you're in - is tidy and kept free from any unnecessary props.

Cafes are great for working in... but not great for an interview.

Avoid anywhere that has noise if possible. Think about the environment you'll be video interviewing in. Choosing an inappropriate environment says a lot about how serious you are about making the right impression.

"I can hear you, can you hear me?"

I've started a video call saying (and seeing someone say) those words on more than one occasion and it's such a frustrating way to start a call. It just kicks everything off on the wrong foot. Don't get me wrong, it's not the end of the world and the call can definitely be brought back from that awkward start, but why take the risk? Check your audio settings. Make sure your 'Output' settings are mid-to-high and that your 'Input' settings are low-to-mid (to limit outside sound). Also, whether you are using the speakers and mic on your computer or headset, make sure they are connected properly. Check it once, test it with a friend, and you'll be off to a smooth start.

'Hello? You've frozen again...'

That leads nicely onto my next big frustration - internet connection. If you know that your internet at home is a little dodgy then go somewhere where it's not. It only takes two or three interrupted connections before both sides start feeling exasperated.

Where are you looking?

When you're sitting in front of a person on a screen in a room, it's sometimes easy to forget the face-to-face etiquette. It's easy to start looking to the side when you're thinking, or distracting yourself when they're talking, particularly when they aren't focusing on the screen either! But don't fall into that trap. Look at the screen, as if you're keeping eye contact, or look into the camera. Just make sure your gaze is focused.

DON'T FORGET THE PHONE

The phone is still an important bit of kit and you'll find that first stage interviews, or even final confirmations, might be done over the phone. A lot of the rules from above actually apply to the phone as well: get dressed up (you'll feel sharper), stay away from noisy places, and go somewhere you know has good signal. But there is another golden rule:

Get across your enthusiasm

A video call can bridge the gap between that and a face-to-face interview, as you can still show your enthusiasm with on-screen demeanour, but that's a little harder to get across on the phone. Some people can be genuinely excited and interested in an opportunity, but without seeing them you'd never know. It's easy for your voice to get a little flat and monotone, especially if you've been talking a lot when answering questions. Be mindful of this. Try a little harder to get across your enthusiasm and positive energy at the exciting opportunity you have in front of you.

Are you ready? Contact any of our team for an free Visa Sponsorship Key Facts document.

Have a new team member joining in the coming weeks (or months) ? Message any of our team for a free guide to onboarding remotely.

Latest news from the Engineering job market

Overall the number of candidates placed into permanent roles has accelerated as demand for staff remains strong - especially in IT & Computing and Engineering, which have shown the sharpest increase of number of vacancies.

In addition to this, starting salary inflation holds close to multi-year high which is due to a sustained fall in candidate availability. There are many possible reasons for this fall in candidate availability ranging from tight labour market restrictions as well as growing uncertainty due to Brexit.

 Are you considering a move into a new position?

On Tuesday 17th July 2018 Google launched it's much anticipated job aggregation tool in the UK. Users will now see direct links to adverts at the top of the page for relevant searches.

It also provides commute times, salary comparisons, ratings and other information where available.

September is THE month when it comes to companies hiring staff. Last year, we secured the highest number of interviews & new job vacancies for our candidates during September compared to any other month that year, and we know from talking to our clients that this September will be no different.
 
So, what do you need to do?
Send your updated CV to mail@enterpriserecruitment.com take advantage of our new job prospects.

 
Why should you do this?

• Updating your CV now will put you in the best position for new job vacancies as they come in.
• Preparing now will put you ahead of your peers/competition.
• Make use of the Summer which can be a ‘quieter period’ to get your CV in shape!

 
When should you do this?

• Now! We work with many sought-after organisations whose opportunities won’t stay open for long, in fact, many positions we come across are filled before they reach the open market.