Tackling the shortage of engineers in the UK has long been a topic of debate in our industry, writes Atkins UK and Europe chief executive Nick Roberts.

There is an intense focus on inspiring the next generation, which is of course vital, but it will be a decade before these people emerge from university. During this time, we have £460bn of infrastructure to deliver and the skills shortage is already starting to bite.

“Young people need to better understand the impact engineering has on society and see engineers standing alongside doctors and astronauts.” 

So in addition to addressing the long-term, we must find sustainable solutions to some very real consequences of a deficit that could hit our profession, our infrastructure and ultimately people’s lives much sooner. 

Understanding the potential consequences is the first step in mitigating against them. This is why we commissioned a study - The skills deficit: consequences and opportunities for UK infrastructure – which compiles the views of more than 40 experts from across the infrastructure sector to offer a glimpse into what the future could hold.  

One of the main risks identified is a sharp increase in the price we pay to deliver our infrastructure, primarily as a result of wage inflation. This means our budgets won’t go as far as anticipated, so we either get less of what we need, or we pay more for it. As an industry we are already working hard to reduce the costs of delivering infrastructure in the UK, so this adds an additional dimension which will need to be resolved.

Delays to project delivery was another issue raised, as sectors and companies compete for the most in-demand resources. 

"We need parents, teachers, students, politicians and the current science and engineering communities to play an active role in finding the solution."

One of the ways to tackle both of these issues is through better planning and prioritisation across the whole of the National Infrastructure Plan. Scheduling projects in a way which doesn’t draw on the same resources at the same time will help.   Ultimately this could result in more than £6 billion of cost savings. 

Alongside better planning and resourcing, tempting more young people into a STEM careers must remain a top priority. So what can we do to make sure this happens? Firstly we need be more effective at challenging the deep seated and out-dated perceptions about the profession.

Young people need to better understand the impact engineering as on society and see engineers standing alongside doctors and astronauts when discussing jobs in the classroom. We perhaps even need to look at how we can become better at using technology or some of the non-traditional skills that younger generations have in abundance.

We can’t achieve this if companies, academia and government address this issue independently. As engineers we work together in partnerships every day to deliver a common goal. We need parents, teachers, students, politicians and the current science and engineering communities to play an active role in finding the solution. This is the only way we really can reduce the skills deficit and solve the impending challenge for our future infrastructure and the UK economy.