Global marine skills gap report
The Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) and the UK’s engineering and recruitment agency, Matchtech, have teamed up to write a new report on the importance of the global marine skills gap.
The report called ‘Mitigating the Skills Gap in the Maritime and Offshore Oil & Gas Market’, brings together over 500 employers and stakeholders actively involved in the naval and defence, commercial, leisure, shipping and offshore sectors, together with academia.
IMarEST’s chief executive, David Loosley, pointed out that shipping remains the cornerstone of the UK economy generating more than £1m every hour of every day and making a £6.1bn value-added contribution to UK GDP.
“We have therefore to think of how to skill up for the industry’s growth opportunities. If industry fails to address the increasing skills gap, there is a very definite threat to these vital sectors of our economy,” he said.
As if to emphasise this, 91% of respondents surveyed for the report believe that a skills gap will adversely affect their business over the next 12 months, indicating that without intervention the growth potential of UK maritime and offshore has an uncertain future.
Six areas that the report focuses in on includes changing the UK’s perception of engineering as a career, focusing on schools and nurturing the UK’s pool of future engineering talent and increasing the number of female engineers.
The report concludes that “We do it better together” and seeks to encourage joined-up thinking and make recommendations on how the industry can sustain its future growth.
IMarEST is taking its duty to try and fix the skills gap seriously and to this end is developing an early careers strategy to support the promotion of the marine sector.
One event being held to support the cause is the second European International Submarine Race careers day being held in partnership with QinetiQ from 7 to 11 July 2014 in Gosport, UK.
