A skills shortage is hitting manufacturing hard – but help and support is available

Upskilling existing staff and re-training is an essential part of addressing the problem of attracting and retaining the right talent, says Greg Cranstoun

Manufacturing is in the midst of a growing skills shortage. Even before the pandemic changed the way we work, the manufacturing sector had been struggling to attract the right talent.

A recent report by recruitment specialist search consultancy found that 85 percent of engineering and manufacturing businesses were reporting a lack of skilled workers. This placed engineering and manufacturing as the sector most impacted by the skills shortage.

The report highlights the causes of this shortage, with 40 per cent of those surveyed stating a lack of qualifiedcandidates as the main problem. The other primary reasons reported were lack of apprentice san dana ging workforce.

These are not new problems for a sector that has always had a bit of an image problem when it comes to attracting new talent, but rapid advances in Industry 4.0 digital manufacturing technologies require new skills–and this is com pounding the problem. some of the most in demand skills for manufacturing are a far cry from the stereotypical perception of the industry, they include coding, big data analysis, programming, and digital fluency. These are skills not usually delivered through traditional engineering learning pathways and often command higher salaries in other sectors.

Paradoxically, the advances in digital manufacturing that are revolutionising the industry, will go some way to shaking off the old stereotypes and ultimately make the sector more attractive to new talent in the longer term. With the pandemic demonstrating the benefit sofa flexibleworkforce and the recent cop 26 conference highlighting the importance of sustainability and a low carbon future, manufacturing businesses have more opportunities than ever to change the way they work, in order to benefit from opportunities that may come their way

Ups killing existing staff andre training is therefore an essential part of addressing this problem, especially while we embrace new technology and show that manufacturing is a ‘cool’ option for apprentices and graduates.

Fortunately, there are a wide range of support mechanisms available to small and growing businesses to address these problems. The Online Digital Manufacturing & Leadership CPD Programme (DML-CPD), which is led by the University of Strathclyde’s Department of Design Manufacture and delivered through the manufacturing skills academy at the national manufacturing institute Scotland( nm is) is a good example of the excellent support that is available for the manufacturing community.

This initiative has been designed to support upskilling at all levels, from apprenticetopost-graduatethrough the provision of online training courses covering a diverse range of topics in digital and advanced manufacturing such as Internet of Things, 3D printing, remanufacturing and circular economy / net-zero.

These content libraries are available to qualifying companies free of charge and will help to provide a foundation in digital manufacturing, allowing them to make more informed strategic decisions and help with their digital transformation journey.

DML-CPD is one of 12 Advancing Manufacturing challenge fund projects. these projects are part-funded bythe2014-2020europeanregional Development Fund.

Ceed manages the Advancing Manufacturing Cluster Builder programme which supports and helps direct small/medium-sized companies to these projects. Another such project is The Critical Engineer – a regional skills hub, giving SMES access to the latest Manufacturing 4.0 technologies, through a combination of online, college and workbased learning.

To find out more about the free support available to people and businesses throughout the manufacturing community in Scotland, visit advancingmanufacturing.co.uk. Greg Cranstoun, Knowledge Exchange Associate at the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) Manufacturing Skills Academy, operated by the University of Strathclyde