How we're tackling Lincolnshire's STEM labour shortage
Posted on 2nd September 2024 at 17:41
Figures from a recent report from Hays Recruitment show that the UK is facing a shortage of skilled workers for in-demand roles, and that the country is at risk of having to fight for highly skilled workers in industries such as technology and banking.
The report found that the UK has a “pressing need” to address its skills shortages or it risks falling behind international peers.
And this is not just a national issue - a lack of workers with in-demand skills in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) industries is also seen on a local level, and Lincolnshire is no exception to this.
But just how bad is Lincolnshire’s STEM labour shortage? And how are we working to tackle this?
Labour demand vs. supply
The Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership Local Skills Report in January 2022 showed that demand is at an all-time high and there is an overall skills shortage, with 37% of vacancies hard to fill.
What’s more, according to the Federation of Small Businesses Greater Lincolnshire & Rutland Local Skills Improvement Plan, jobs density at 0.79 is lower than the national average of 0.87 for the UK, which presents challenges for linking labour supply to demand.
The Local Skills Report also showed that employability, digital and transferable skills are needed in the region due to a lack of residents with qualifications at level 4 and above - Greater Lincolnshire has just 31.5% of individuals with a level 4 qualification or above, which is lower than the national average of 43.2%.
The region can only maximise growth if the right skills are locally available to employers, and the current skills shortfall threatens the possible transformative development of the area.
Construction
Data from the Local Skills Improvement Plan suggests that construction companies across the county are struggling to recruit people with the right skills.
Data shows that 7% of construction companies tried but failed to recruit over the previous 12 months, against an average failure rate of 6% across all sectors. What’s more, 67% of those recruiting had long-term unfilled vacancies and 36% said they have “little or no confidence” that they will find suitable training options in the local area for existing employees.
Engineering and manufacturing
The Local Skills Report shows that maintenance engineers, metalworking and production operatives are the toughest roles to fill, and a shortage of machine operatives has been reported locally by a number of manufacturing employers across Greater Lincolnshire.
In addition, the Local Skills Improvement Plan shows that nearly all (96%) of engineering enterprises have been in recruitment mode over the previous 12 months and 9% tried but failed to recruit (against an average failure rate of 6% across all sectors).
Again, the skills shortage is a big challenge in the engineering and manufacturing industries. Nearly eight out of 10 engineering firms find skilled professional and technical roles the hardest to fill and they are much more likely than other sectors to see recruiting employees with the right technical skills as a top three challenge.
Agritech
When it comes to agritech, the Local Skills Report shows that the agricultural, horticultural and food manufacturing sectors have vacancies across all levels that cannot be filled, including manual roles, supervisory jobs and machine operatives.
This comes as no surprise, considering that the 2021 Census showed just 0.8% of residents in Lincoln aged 16 years and over in employment work in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industry.
Upskilling the region
At the Lincolnshire Institute of Technology (LIoT) we support the economic growth and prosperity of Greater Lincolnshire by preparing individuals for work and supporting their development and progression within employment.
Making sure Lincolnshire’s current and future workforce have the right skills is key to our mission. In the last five years, we’ve put 3,000 learners through a level 4 or 5 qualification and we’re aiming to increase this in the next five years.
We’ve also facilitated over £30 million capital investment in STEM education, enabling eight new training centres to be opened or refurbished and our partners have enrolled 7,500 STEM learners as a result.
We specialise in providing training and education in manufacturing and engineering, construction and digital, working with employers and education partners across the region to deliver high quality apprenticeships, higher level qualifications and bespoke training.
If you’re looking to start your career in the STEM industry, or are already working in STEM and would like to upskill, take a look at our education partners’ websites to find out what they have to offer.
And if you’re a local employer looking for help finding employees with the right skills, as well as upskilling your current workforce, contact mlochran@lincoln.ac.uk for more information.
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