Engineering firms should encourage student work experience
Engineering employers think more workplace experience is necessary for the future of the industry
A new report suggests that employers in the engineering sector, including the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, are dissatisfied with new graduates who are not fully equipped for the workplace environment.
The report from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), titled ‘Skills and Demand in Industry’ shows that 61 per cent of employers surveyed for the report were not happy with the level of engineering experience shown by new graduates entering the workplace.
The IET interviewed 400 engineering employers throughout the UK as part of the survey which has been an annual publication for the past eleven years.
This year, many engineering employers expressed concern about the content of current engineering and technology degrees offered at universities throughout the country. Employers claim that degree studies do not offer enough practical learning or the chance to develop practical skills during work experience placement.
A total of 66 per cent of those surveyed think that education institutes are not in tune with technological advances and that this gap between university education and the workplace will only increase.
According to the report, an overwhelming 91 per cent of those who responded to the survey believe that more engineering employers need to offer work experience to students and that educational establishments should encourage this development.
To address the obvious issue, the IET has set up an ‘Engineering Work Experience for All’ campaign, which is designed to encourage collaboration between employers, universities and the UK government.
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