Engineers raise resistance over GCSEs

As thousands of young people received their GCSE results last week, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) warned that the Government might be poised to make a blunder. Their plan is to merge GCSEs in engineering, electronics and manufacturing because, they say, there’s not enough young people taking the individual awards. However, the IET warns this could just make Britain’s skill shortage that much worse – which is a major concern for UK employers. The IET’s 2014 Engineering and Technology: Skills & Demand in Industry Annual Survey revealed that 59% of companies indicated concerns that a shortage of engineers would be a threat to their businesses.

The IET’s alternative is to put more resources into encouraging youngsters to take a GCSE in these practical subjects. However, young people may already be getting in on the act. Analysis of the 2014 GCSE results shows a 73% increase (5,027 students in 2014 compared to 2,897 in 2013) in students successfully studying GCSE engineering.

Paul Davies, IET Head of Policy, said: “It is imperative that GCSE engineering be reformed rather than removed. One of the reasons given for removing this subject is due to the low student numbers. However, the results published today show a large increase. GCSE engineering is widely recognised as a significant route to providing the crucial technical skills that young people need to succeed in industry. According to the IET Skills Survey, 44% of engineering, IT and technical recruits do not meet the employer’s expected levels of skills.

“It is important to engage students with the discipline of engineering as early as possible. These subjects build on key skills applicable to many areas and develop a systems-thinking approach in addition to allowing for the application of mathematics. It is unclear whether these skills will be adequately covered by the proposed Design and Technology syllabus. The fact of the matter is that the UK has a shortage of engineers and the removal of these subjects sends the wrong message about their importance to the UK’s economy.

“We believe that rigorous, highly valued qualifications should exist in engineering and technology areas that will be vital to the nation’s future and that all education policy makers should seek to maximise the take up of these qualifications.”