A review of literature on employability skill needs in engineering

Abstract

Encouraging skills development is a key part of the UK Government’s strategy. This emphasis on skills has led to changes in Higher Education, where there is an increasing recognition of the need to enhance students’ employability. This paper reviews the data on the type of employer skill needs available in the existing literature with a particular emphasis on those skills required by engineering and manufacturing employers. Statistical data related to skill gaps in engineering and manufacturing in the UK and London/Thames Gateway are presented with the intention to determine whether and how these relate to the employability skills and competences listed by various organisations. The paper arrives at a number of conclusions. In summary, for the ‘engineering and manufacturing workforce skills development’ ethos to become widespread in London (and the UK in general), a lot more needs to be done to understand the needs of industry to be able to develop provision that supports Londoners (and the UK citizens in general) in gaining appropriate skills in engineering. This can only be achieved through cooperative, inclusive, transparent and centrally coordinated approaches to skills assessment, monitoring and development.

Keywords:

• Engineering skills
• Competencies
• Employability
• Skills

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of Dr Adam Crawford at the final drafting and proofreading stages of the manuscript.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Imren Markes

Email: [email protected] Imren Markes is a Senior Lecturer in Product Design and Engineering at Middlesex University. She took a two-year secondment (2004–2006) to work as Skills Development Co-ordinator in the Engineering Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Loughborough University. She received her BSc in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 and her MSc in Mechanical Engineering in 1989 at Istanbul Technical University in Turkey, and her PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1993 at Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom. After graduating in 1985 she worked as Research Assistant at Istanbul Technical University and as Senior Research Assistant at the University of Wales in Swansea. She took her position of Lecturer in the School of Engineering Systems at Middlesex University in 1996 and her position of Senior Lecturer in 1998.