Technology success is about people

Ruth Spellman, Former Chief Executive of Investors in People UK

Asking employers what they want in terms of employee skills is rather like asking engineers to solve a practical problem; they will all agree on the principles but may well differ widely about the details of the specific solution needed.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has close relationships with companies employing engineers, developed through our work on educational and skills needs for business and for registration as Chartered or Incorporated Engineers and, more recently, Engineering Technicians. Recently we introduced a formal process of consultation with major engineering employers through a new consultative Employers’ Panel. Through this network of relationships we have identified and are helping to meet employers’ needs, among which the following three are key.

Confusing landscape

Many employers find the education landscape confusing and believe that there are too many different qualifications, schemes and initiatives. Consequently employers, who by definition are not educational experts, often lack confidence about the attributes of people who come to them with any given qualification. Confusion about qualifications is often due to employers lacking information and can be solved by better communication.

Qualifications framework

Lord Dearing’s report called for a qualifications framework that provides a simple user-interface so that employers can understand the many available qualifications with confidence – simple to say but difficult to achieve. However, employers tell us that a key benefit of professional engineering qualifications is that they provide a ready measure of competence and commitment that helps in recruitment and promotion decisions.

Technical Skills

A resounding message from the employers we speak to is that they want employees with good technical skills and good key skills, and who are ‘employable’. As a rule employers seem content with the technical skills, that people develop during their education and training. This hides, however, pockets of frustration where employers are unable to recruit sufficient people (skills shortage) with the right skills mix (skills gap). One major automotive manufacturer, for example, recently revealed a UK shortage of about 50 suitably skilled graduate-level engineers and shared the sectors frustration at having to consider recruiting from outside the UK.

Key Skills

In addition, employers are reporting problems with key skills and young people’s ‘inadequate preparedness for work’. By this they mean that they find young people to have inadequate communication and numeracy skills; they also report young people as being unaware of how business works (in broad terms), how to respond to ‘authority’, the importance of time-keeping and appropriate dress, how to communicate effectively and the importance of personal motivation.

Simple

Solving the skills shortage is potentially simple; recruit the most suitable candidates whatever their origin and pay for training as required. In reality though, we must make sure that more employers know how to engage with the education and training systems and that, when they do, they are genuinely listened to. The Institution is playing its part through, for example, a tailored Continuous Professional Development service for its members which includes access to higher level management skills for engineers in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute.


Keen to learn

Learning and adapting are critical processes that underpin the survival and prosperity of successful businesses. Not surprisingly, therefore, employers understand the principle of lifelong learning. Employers want employees who are keen to learn, develop and grow, and who will understand the business implications of this process, employees who are flexible. What they want from the educational process are young people who exhibit these characteristics, and who have ‘learnt to learn’.

Clarity

By providing employers with clarity about qualifications, relevant skills and attitudes and a desire to go on learning, we will go a long way towards preparing individuals and employers for a successful partnership. If the message seems simple it is because it is. The challenge lies in delivering simplicity and, as we all know, this can be complicated. As always, progress must be based on shared objectives, good communications and the willingness of all employers to roll up their sleeves and get involved.