Frimley, UK, 2014-Nov-17
Siemens blade manufacturing facility
Concern about the growth and development of skills in the UK energy market is nothing new. There are fewer graduates and appropriately qualified apprentices entering the market, and there are ever stronger challenges to the retention and maintenance of staff. Indeed, it has been estimated that the industry loses one in four employees to adjacent markets.
The document reveals how with conservative estimates now suggesting that the UK needs to double its output of graduates with science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills within the next decade, the issue is becoming strategically critical. With canvassed views of industry and skills professionals revealing that insiders feel the skills gap in the energy sector is a ‘perfect storm’ - the result of a lack of long-lead skills, combined with a pressing need to renew and replace our ageing and inefficient energy systems.
The report has been produced to highlight the need for skills to support the evolution of a 21st century economy. Siemens relies on people and their talents, so endorses STEM schemes and initiatives such as the Perkins Review of Engineering (November 2013), in a bid to fill the huge engineering skills gap.
Skills in Energy: Bridging the skills gap provides forward-looking advice and commentary on emerging trends and analysis around the changing landscape.
According to the Royal Academy of Engineering 60 per cent of engineers are qualified to degree level. However Siemens supports educating engineers through apprenticeships and is a supporter of ‘Gold standard’ apprenticeships (part of the Trailblazers scheme).
Siemens believes that all young people should be able to earn and learn: Vocational training and not just university routes are essential. To be effective earning while learning has to be led by employer-led skills models. Siemens is very active in this area. For example: The Education Portal, The Curiosity Project and partnering with universities such as Lincoln and support for a number of UTCs.
Engineering needs more women. The UK has the worst record of getting women into STEM subjects (and staying in them) in the whole of the EU. There is also a huge demand for technician level, vocationally-trained engineers to tackle the aging infrastructure as part of renewing the UK’s energy assets.
The TRS (formerly known as Talent Retention Solution) is progressively growing the industry’s own industrial skills capability on one national platform. The TRS aims to build a resource which allows people to manage their careers, look for jobs and get advice and to be the first port of call for employers to support their business. TRS is employer led, funded and is not for profit. Businesses including Siemens, along with the Engineering Construction and Industry Training Board, form the board and governance structure. More than 1,000 companies, many of them Small and Medium sized Enterprise, have registered on the web-based system that provides the essential interface.
To address the skills challenges, many in the energy sector are exploring a new focus on their recruitment strategy: attracting talent from other sectors. One particularly rich stream of potential new staff is the Armed Forces – those looking for a second career after they have been discharged. The report highlights some key case studies from former servicemen and women.
Paul Maher, Chair of the Talent Management Board, Siemens, said: “It is already difficult to get good graduates and the situation will continue to worsen unless we can turn the tide. With this publication we hope to raise the profile of the difficulties that we face with the ever growing skills gap, and explore some of the potential solutions.”
A copy of the full report can be viewed at http://www.siemens.co.uk/skills-report
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Contact for journalists:
Laura Bennett
tel: 01276 696374
mobile: 07808 823598
E-mail: laura.bennett@siemens.com
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About Siemens
Siemens is a global technology powerhouse that has stood for engineering excellence, innovation, quality and reliability for more than 170 years in the UK. The company is active in more than 200 countries, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalisation. One of the world’s largest producers of energy-efficient, resource-saving technologies, Siemens is No. 1 in offshore wind turbine construction, a leading supplier of combined cycle turbines for power generation, a leading provider of power transmission solutions and a pioneer in infrastructure solutions and automation and software solutions for industry. The company is also a leading supplier of medical imaging equipment – such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging systems – and a leader in laboratory diagnostics as well as clinical IT. Further information is available on the Internet at www.siemens.co.uk.
