Engineering and Manufacturing Opportunities in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly
Engineering and Manufacturing work across agriculture, marine, construction, low carbon energy and more.
The engineering and manufacturing sector is made up of small and large businesses that often support many other of the sectors in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly. These include for example agriculture, marine, construction and low carbon energy.
Employees with a range of specialisms are needed in this sector. This is due to the variety of businesses and the large numbers of areas where there are skill shortages.
A recent study carried out has shown that 78% of UK industrial companies are finding it either harder or much more complex than usual to find the employees they need. An ageing workforce means experienced workers are retiring faster than new workers entering the industry, and prior to Brexit 11% of the UK’s manufacturing workforce came from the EU. According to a government study,186,000 skilled engineers are needed annually until 2024 to plug the skills gap, and almost 20% of the current workforce is due to retire by 2026 according to the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board.
Automation and robotics are already common in manufacturing processes, but change will be rapid in the coming decade, partly driven by the necessity of responding to the climate emergency. Robotics engineering itself is a fast-growing sub-sector. Given the rapid pace of change in technology, engineers will have to upskill/retrain multiple times throughout their careers.
The People Hub Cornwall (CIOS) offer free advice and support for anyone in Cornwall and the isles of Scilly who is looking for help getting into employment, job training or fully funded qualifications.
