One of Europes leading Electronic Manufacturing Services companies SMS Electronics are aiming to increase the number of young people interested in the manufacturing and engineering sector by introducing them to the SMS Apprenticeship Scheme.
SMS Managing Director, Mark Goldby said: I dont believe young students even in primary school are given the right aspiration to be thinking about roles in engineering.
The manufacturing and engineering industry face continual recruitment challenges in the search for people to fill electronics roles. SMS have turned to overseas for candidates, which means that ¼ of their electrical engineers have origins from abroad.
This issue stems from an ageing workforce, as ¾ of SMS engineers are over 50-years-old and the lack of apprenticeships has resulted in staff being unable to transfer their skills to the next generation of electrical engineers.
Furthermore, SMS desire to hire apprentices coincides with their plan to hire a local workforce if possible. Goldby stated: We want all of our employees from apprentices through to our senior executives to have come from the local area. My goal would be to fill all of our apprentices and graduate positions with local people.
The SMS Apprenticeship Scheme provides 16-24 year olds the opportunity to learn as they work which will help to fill the skills gap. SMS also have their own in-house training centre where employees are continually being trained up to the latest requirements for the industry.
Goldby said: Weve had apprentices come through our apprenticeship programme at varying levels of engineering roles from basic technician, production operatives and test development operators.
Weve invested a significant amount of time and money in achieving those numbers and weve managed to retain the majority of apprentices as employees.
Electrical engineering technician apprenticeships will provide students with the opportunity to install, maintain and repair electrical equipment. A job within electrical engineering is a constantly varying and practical career, ideal for people who enjoy solving technical problems.
Goldby reiterated that the gap in young people interested in a career involving electrical engineering or manufacturing needs to be initially addressed by local schools, to ensure that SMS introduce the Apprenticeship Scheme to people with the desire to pursue a career in electronics manufacturing.
Goldby added: I think it needs to go right back to the basics of having good solid role models for young students to look up to and to aspire to move into those sort of sectors. In turn, talent will attract talent and the sector will gain its own momentum and will promote itself but at the moment companies like SMS have to do a lot of that themselves.
SMS Electronics will be exhibiting at the Made in the Midlands East Midlands Exhibition on Thursday, 12 November 2015 from 09:00 to 14:00 at the iPro Stadium, Derby. Details on the SMS Apprenticeship Scheme will be available at the exhibition, tickets are available here: http://bit.ly/1Ry2sX