Role Creep is restricting engineering recruitment 07 March 2012

The problem of 'role creep' for engineers involved in just about any facet of industry is as major contributor to difficulties with recruiting engineers, according to the Festo Skills Report.

Festo finds that 76% of manufacturers and engineers experience issues with recruiting engineers and technicians in spite of government investment to attract more people to careers in manufacturing and engineering.

Gary Wyles, managing director of Festo Training and Consulting, believes that, in the present economy, much of the difficulty is caused by 'role creep'.

"In an effort to save costs, manufacturers and engineering firms are expecting employees to take on not just a single job, but to also have experience in other fields," says Wyles.

"This sets the bar extremely high for potential employees and, as a result, manufacturers are finding it difficult to recruit the right people," he explains.

Wyles continues: "New recruits are expected to hit the ground running and to have high qualifications, experience and knowledge of the latest technology. For those new to the industry, it is very difficult to live up to those expectations and can be a barrier to their career progression.

For Wyles, industry's reliance on universities to provide graduates with all the latest skills is unrealistic. "The reality is that many colleges and universities simply have difficulty accessing the latest versions of programs and technology to equip our graduates with up-to-date skills," he says.

Wyles suggests that companies need to be more receptive to the talent pool and start by being more realistic about the level of experience that each role really requires.

"Define the role and expectations fully; be prepared to invest in ongoing training and development; work with higher education to improve experience and skills of students before they enter the industry," he urges.

The report by Festo Training and Consulting, The Need for Skills 2012, surveyed more than 100 respondents in engineering and manufacturing and aimed to provide an overview of some of the issues relating to skills in the industry, including recruitment, learning and development, technical skills, leadership skills, engagement, apprenticeship schemes and succession planning.

Other key findings include that UK school-leavers and graduates are less likely to choose engineering and manufacturing as a career than their European counterparts, with 47% saying that manufacturing suffers from an image problem.

Further, there are mixed views about the future for manufacturing in the UK, with only 36% agreeing that the future is bright for manufacturing, while 52% disagree.

Also, there is a perceived lack of investment in skills, particularly soft skills aimed at leadership and management, with 75% saying that management skills are an important issue, yet only 32% believing their leadership capabilities are adequate.

Beyond that, says Festo, there is also a direct link between employee engagement and retention, yet few companies have a formal structure in place to measure employee engagement. 56% of engaged employees say they will be with their current employer by next year, compared to 13% of their disengaged colleagues.

Brian Tinham

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