Member Article

Attracting young people to engineering

Gary Wyles, MD of Festo Training and Consulting, looks at his company’s approach to attracting young people into engineering.

A recent survey shows that 62% of manufacturing and engineering firms are set to take on an apprentice this year and with 75% of these firms suffering from a skills shortage, attracting our youth into the sector has become a high priority.

It is promising that more companies are taking on apprentices, but is it a short-term fix, based upon government incentives and policy, rather than addressing the wider issue of a skills shortage within the industry? In manufacturing and engineering, more than 75% of companies currently suffer from a skills shortage and a further 43% forecast that this skills shortage will worsen over the next twelve months. This issue clearly needs to be addressed and requires a long-term solution if we are to sustain our engineering and manufacturing industries.

One company that has developed a wide range of initiatives for working with young people is Festo, a manufacturer of automation technology.

The company employs more than 16,000 people worldwide and recognises that to attract our talent of the future takes a lot more effort than waiting for someone to send in their CV. Its strategy is multi-faceted, to work with schools, colleges and universities, engage with young people at career shows, to nurture apprentices, providing them with the essential technical and design skills for a career in engineering and to provide graduate opportunities.

10% of Festo’s UK staff are STEM Ambassadors, volunteers committed to raising engagement within the subjects of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. Jacqui Hanbury, Product Manager at Festo is a STEM Ambassador and works closely with the local schools, colleges and university to bring STEM subjects to life. She is particularly interested in attracting women to engineering and has delivered several talks and workshops addressing the stereotypes of women in the industry.

She comments: “I love working in engineering and I think it’s a shame that more of our young people disregard it as an industry because they don’t think it’s relevant to them. I try to make engineering more relevant, helping them to understand that it is engineers that develop the technology inside their phone, iPad, Xbox and many of the electronic items around them.”

The volunteers in Festo that work with young people do it because they want to give something back to our youth, but also recognise its importance in helping to attract the best talent to Festo. Likewise, education establishments recognise that companies such as Festo have a crucial role to play in providing students with the right attitude, skills and access to the latest technology.

Trisha Goodchild, STEM Co-ordinator and NETP Placement Manager at Northants University comments: “Working with organisations such as Festo, is crucial for equipping our students with up-to-date knowledge and skills in engineering. It is as a result of our relationships with companies such as Festo that jobs are often offered to our students above graduates from Oxbridge.”

Clearly, Festo is very active in the development of young people within engineering and manufacturing, but how has it helped the company?

Gary Wyles, managing director at Festo Training and Consulting comments: “We get the cream of the crop. Students with an interest in engineering remember their experience of Festo and that it has a learning culture that they can fit into easily. We have an embedded coaching culture and our mentors are equipped with the necessary skills to work effectively with young people. Our apprentices and graduates are respected members of the organisation and as a result a high proportion of our young employees stay with us and are well on the way to becoming our business leaders of the future.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Festo Training and Consulting .