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There is a big skills gap in certain areas of society. There is clearly more that can be done in order to encourage students leaving school to go into these roles. Areas like engineering and cybersecurity are crying out for help and assistance. We need to think about where our young people are truly needed.
Moreover, there is a clear mismatch when it comes to the education system and the skills that are required once candidates enter the job market. Rather than some fields being promoted once children enter the sixth form, there is a strong argument that it should be encouraged from an earlier age, for example, in secondary school or even during primary school.
Shaking outdated stereotypes
When it comes to the likes of engineering, security, and even becoming a professional plumber, one of the biggest issues is that there are outdated stereotypes.
When it comes to the likes of engineering recruitment, the issue is that this is largely viewed as a career for men. In fact, 40 percent of engineers have stated that they believe gender stereotypes are reinforced through advertised roles in this industry. More can be done to ensure that engineering is marketed as a career that is available to everyone. Engineering roles and apprenticeships need to be marketed to females so that more women end up working in this industry.
Some of the things recruiters are doing to try and plug the skills gap
Recruitment companies are working hard to encourage businesses to make their job roles more enticing for candidates. A lot of people believe that trades jobs are attractive because the work is interesting and the pay is good. While there is no denying that the pay does appeal, there are other factors that are being valued greatly by candidates today.
This includes progression prospects, job security, and work variety. Recruiters are using this to make their job descriptions more attractive so that they can appeal to the restricted talent pool that is out there at the moment. Recruiters have also stated that they do not believe re-skilling for trades jobs is difficult, and so it is certainly worth focusing on this as another strategy for plugging the skills jab. This has been backed up by statistics. After all, again referring to the engineering sector, one-fifth of the current candidates in the engineering sector have reskilled from other jobs into their existing roles.
Looking for opportunities
Searching for careers that enable you to enter a market filled with opportunities will give children the best chance of finding a job. It means demand is there, and competition is not as fierce. This is a great strategy when deciding what jobs to take.
All things considered, there is no denying that there is a real problem when it comes to the apprenticeship skills gap in certain sectors, especially trades. A dedicated effort is required if the industry is to meet the demand for professionals that is predicted within the next few years. However, as you can see, there are a number of steps that are being taken across training and recruitment to ensure that this difficult task is tackled.
