Monday 10 August 2026 5:11 am
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Friday 07 August 2026 5:43 pm
Technical education, in particular for women and ethnic minorities, has a big role to play in addressing this persistent skills shortage in engineering, writes Tamara FinkelsteinAs the new Prime Minister has already recognised, we need continued investment in technical education if the UK is to develop the engineering and technology workforce needed to achieve sustainable economic growth and remain globally competitive.Providing excellent technical training and emphasising vocational qualifications could help to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training. Alongside the academic routes available in our universities, it could also help to address the long-standing skills shortage and persistent skills gap in UK engineering. The latest projections indicate that 240,000 new engineers and technicians are needed every year just to fill existing roles. Only 17 per cent of UK engineers are women – compared to 56 per cent in other occupations – and only 15 per cent are from ethnic minority backgrounds, compared to 18 per cent in other occupations. We need more young people from all backgrounds to join the profession through both vocational and academic routes.Technical education has a big role to play in addressing this persistent skills shortage, and the Academy has consistently highlighted the importance of strong technical education pathways nationally and regionally if the UK is to fully develop its engineering and technology potential and plug the skills gap. But only 45,000 apprenticeships are taken up annually in engineering and manufacturing.The chequered history of technical trainingThe UK’s engineering skills problem has deep sociopolitical roots, stemming from a historically inconsistent approach to technical education, which has swung in and out of favour over the last century. The accompanying reforms to school curricula and accountability measures have often had unintended consequences.For example, the number of pupils studying GCSE and A level Design & Technology has been in steep decline since 2004 when its status as a compulsory subject at key stage 4 was removed. The decline in design and technology and the reduction in practical learning opportunities more generally in school curricula has impacted the development of engineering talent. Many schools also reduced or removed the equipment, laboratories and workshops required to teach practical subjects and considerable investment and innovative teaching solutions will be needed to support new technical courses. In the late 2010s, the Conservative government turned its attention to further education, with wide-ranging reforms to apprenticeships and the introduction of T-levels, technical qualifications equivalent to three A-levels. The Academy has supported these new qualifications, which are still in their infancy and have relatively low take up. Earlier this year, the Labour government proposed the less specialised V-levels to provide broader qualifications equivalent to one A-level, intended to allow students to blend academic with technical learning. Both have value but the degree of change makes it difficult for the education system to commit and build a strong and sustainable approach.Simplifying this complex landscape of vocational education and training pathways is an essential step towards enabling improved access for students.Turning words into actionSome 30 per cent of economically inactive 16-24 year-olds we surveyed told us that not having the right qualifications, education or work experience was one of the three biggest barriers to them getting a job. Supporting teachers is imperative. The Academy works with schools and colleges to help give teachers the confidence to deliver engineering-based activities in the classroom and talk about engineering careers and pathways to their students. We also work with industry and educators around the country to promote engineering career pathways, local enterprise and identify emerging skills requirements.If the government is serious about supporting the development of vocational skills, it will need to help businesses of all sizes with the bureaucratic and financial hurdles they face in offering student placements. Work experience is vital to the success of vocational education whether it occurs via apprenticeships, T-Levels, the upcoming V-Levels or the newly proposed vocational educational route, or alongside a more traditional university route.I welcome the government’s commitment to technical education but the announcement must be followed by action to equip young people with the skills they need for the future, whether they follow a vocational or academic path. Nowhere is this more important than for engineering and technology, the engines of innovation and growth.Dame Tamara Finkelstein DCB is chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering
