September 2019

53 www.drivesncontrols.com September 2019 qualifications. If we are to make the most of the latest manufacturing technologies, UK industry needs, and will continue to need, individuals who are both skilled and educated. While the university degree courses will produce engineers with high-level academic qualifications, we must also address the lack of hands-on practical skills being taught today. While the numbers of graduates continue to increase, the number of apprenticeships being offered has fallen. The higher education colleges which support them remain significantly under-funded, and the government’s recent attempts to drive up the number of apprenticeships, with levies on larger companies, are failing to increase the number of apprentices coming through the system, although it is a subject which is regularly in the news. The practical skills that we need urgently are developed through the apprenticeship route and supported by further education colleges. To succeed, there needs to be a reversal of the under-funding for these establishments. According to the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), further education has been hard hit, with an 8% cut in real terms since 2010/2011. Of course, it’s true that the UK is still training apprentices, at three different qualification levels: intermediate; advanced; and higher. However, in recent years, the numbers have continued to fall. There were 119,100 fewer starts in 2017/18 than in 2016/17. Starts at intermediate level and by apprentices aged 25 and older were particularly affected. This means that 94,000 fewer people were participating in an apprenticeship in 2017/18 than in 2016/17 – a significant drop. We must also remember that not all of these apprenticeships were in engineering disciplines. According to a Government briefing paper published in February 2019, the number of apprenticeships in engineering and manufacturing in England totalled 59,000 in 2017/2018 – just 16% of the total number of apprenticeship starts, and down by 16,000 from the previous year. German lessons Perhaps the UK needs to consider an alternative approach to apprenticeships, where continued investment in both vocational training programmes and university education ensures a ready supply of suitably qualified personnel. In Germany, for example, schools are the foundation for the future of the country’s engineers, and they encourage their students to enter manufacturing and engineering. The German apprenticeship system is still the envy of Europe, with about two-thirds of young Germans taking up apprenticeships, across a wide variety of disciplines, following full-time education. Respected vocational training programmes are still widespread in many sectors of German industry, where they are still seen by many as a rite of passage – with students learning skills, responsibility, and a professional work ethic, at an early age, which will go on to serve them well throughout their lives. These modern apprenticeships combine academic skills with on- the-job experience, providing the skills base needed to support the technology-focused German economy. As manufacturing becomes ever more sophisticated, the UK requires greater numbers of well-rounded engineers in all of our manufacturing sectors, including robotics and automation. In addition to highly qualified technology developers, design engineers and robot programmers, the industry really needs engineers who have the practical skills and experience needed to build, apply and maintain our modern manufacturing technologies to best effect. Also, apprenticeships should not be seen as the sole domain of large companies. Although Güdel UK, a subsidiary of a Swiss parent, is part of a multi-national group, it is a relatively small organisation. However 16% of our employees are apprentices, training in technical and commercial roles. As the business continues to grow, there will always be opportunities for additional apprentices. As the UK moves into uncharted territory in the coming months and years, there is little doubt that manufacturing will remain a crucial part of our economy. If the UK is to expand its manufacturing base, it also needs to ensure that it is expanding the talent and skills that we need to secure our future. n www.sensopart.com Speak the same language as robots • VISOR ® vision sensor for 2D robot applications • Easy interface with the robot • Finding parts with just a few clicks thanks to easy configuration

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