Numerous studies are reporting that the engineering skills shortage is one of the main concerns facing British Manufacturing today, and yet each year there are thousands of engineering students who do not secure a career in engineering.
MSC Industrial is acutely aware of the engineer skills shortage, which is causing great concern for many of its customers, especially among SME manufacturers.
Dave Darby, managing director at MSC, says “At MSC we’re exposed to thousands of engineering firms, which enables us to understand the challenges that they face today and tomorrow. To address the engineering skills shortage, we’ve been strengthening our national engineering team, who have saved significant time and costs for hundreds of customers. That said, we recognise that this can only satisfy part of the problem, which is why we’ve been searching for a partner that can help our customers recruit and inspire the next generation of engineers.”
Adam Tipper, owner-director of Next Gen Makers, adds: “There is clearly an engineering skills shortage in the UK, and yet there are thousands of engineering students looking for apprenticeship opportunities each year who struggle to find employers. This is because they lack awareness of engineering companies in their local area. We’re actively working with colleges and secondary schools to bring companies and students together via our innovative model. We also try and inspire more young people to look at a career in the engineering sector. I’m excited about the prospect of working with an industry leader like MSC, who are passionate about supporting UK manufacturing.”
The partnership between MSC and Next Gen Makers is all about making a positive change to the lives of many young engineers and engineering firms. Working together, they will seek to address the major problem that faces UK manufacturing, today and for years to come.