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Back to School!13 February 2008In a bid to assist the skills shortage currently engulfing the engineering sector, Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) has launched a new initiative entitled ‘Pass on Your Skills’. The purpose of this scheme is to encourage engineers into a teaching, tutoring or training role, in order for them to pass on their experience and expertise in the Further Education (FE) sector. This, in turn, will hopefully result in a greater amount of engineering positions being filled. An in-depth look at the way in which this could shape the future of the industry can be found by clicking here.
The lack of homegrown talent coming through the ranks is an issue that has been very much on the Panel & System Building agenda in recent times. The general consenus being that whilst there are indeed problems to be addressed, there is no obvious ‘black and white’ outcome which can be reached overnight. Many companies have implemented apprenticeship schemes in an effort to resolve the problem, but the number of students enrolling is dwindling – and this doesn’t look set to change anytime soon unless there is significant intervention somewhere along the way.
So that brings us to LLUK’s campaign, which officially kicked off yesterday. The main catalyst for its initiative stems from the recent ‘Bridging the Skills Gap’ report, which unearthed some rather staggering statistics. For instance, a grand total of 20,000 jobs in the engineering sector are currently unoccupied, with an equally unimpressive 71% of companies claiming to face problems in terms of hiring experienced staff.
The ‘Pass on Your Skills’ initiative attempts to combat these worrying trends, and looks to address the issue by encouraging professionals into the tuition field. The concept, which is also being extended into the health and social care sector, will require the professionals to complete a variety of free training programmes - such as ‘The Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector’ courses. Once achieved, the individual can then embark on the aforementioned teaching career, sharing their valuable skills and experience with those requiring them.
Presumably, this initiative is aimed at those who are no longer able to physically maintain a demanding engineering schedule but would like to remain involved in the industry nonetheless. There is no fixed timetable that professionals-cum-tutors need to adhere to, so the course can accommodate both those seeking a full-time schedule and those looking for just several hours’ work a week.
Whether this idea will stand the test of time or not remains to be seen. As previously documented, the decline of the industry is not something that can be reversed overnight; but forward-thinking ideas such as these are most encouraging. The key here is timing. The first priority should be to consolidate the falling numbers of emerging engineers, and if this achieved, it should be considered a success. Let’s just hope that LLUK share this view and remain patient for the foreseeable future.
If you are interested in participating, or would simply like further information, then visit www.passonyourskills.com
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