Report highlights education needs

A New Engineering Foundation product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 25, 2008

In the recent National Employment Skills Survey, over 44,000 technician positions have remained vacant due to lack of appropriate practical and technical skills.

The New Engineering Foundation (NEF) has made a call for a "reality check" on education in its Appliance of Science paper.

The paper argues that while the government is actively pursuing its target of 50% of all young people having the opportunity to enter university, employers in science, engineering and technology fields are suffering from an acute lack of people with technician skills.

In the recent National Employment Skills Survey (NESS), over 44,000 technician positions have remained vacant due to lack of appropriate practical and technical skills.

With growth in technician skills expected to grow by 12% annually, the gap in skill shortages can only widen.

The paper argues that the reason for this lack of skills is down to there being no suitable technical education available.

"Often, the lines between technician and apprentice have been blurred and the government has taken advantage of this miscommunication to claim that technician education is covered by the apprenticeship scheme".

"But technicians and apprentices are not the same".

"Each has different sets of qualities, competences and capabilities and they are positioned, educationally, at different levels", according to NEF Chief Executive, Professor Sa'ad Medhat.

"A possible way forward to solve this technical education problem is to position the new Science Diploma as a technician-level qualification that has a clear progression route, by linking with the Foundation Degrees, which are now increasingly recognised by industry and higher education".

At a think-tank gathering of employers, teachers and others key stakeholders, convened by NEF, the need emerged for the Science Diploma to have a distinct 'clarity of purpose' around technical education and be well understood and recognised by teachers, employers, students and parents.

Medhat said: "Employers understood the old technical qualifications like OND/HNDs and they knew what to expect from those holding them".

"But today's array of qualifications leaves employers feeling lost over the employment of post-16 school leavers, as their qualifications do not reflect skills requirements".

The think-tank agreed that the aim of the new Science Diploma should be about providing 16-18 year olds with an industry-recognised qualification that will not require them to be retrained and will have embedded in the curriculum, skills that count further towards employability such as communication, time-management and problem-solving.

"We want the Science Diploma to be seen as different but equal to traditional A-levels".

"It should be valued and regarded as a good technical alternative" Medhat said.

"With the chronic technician skill shortages faced by industry, the Science Diploma could be the solution education's been looking for".

"Implemented right, this diploma could mean a real blossoming of science technicians; a skills levels that is and will continue to be absolutely crucial to our nation's ability to innovate in areas such as nanotechnology, environmental science, bioengineering and energy, amongst others".