Professor John Perkins' Review of Engineering Skills

Professor John Perkins’ Review of Engineering Skills also known as the Perkins Review was a 2013 report commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills into engineering training and the skills shortage in the United Kingdom. It made key recommendations for improving the training of British engineers and encouraging more entrants into the profession. Key aspects it highlighted included the gender gap, with ten times more men employed in the profession than women, and the current reliance on foreign engineers.

The report

The report was commissioned by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) under the Cameron–Clegg coalition government and took two years to prepare.[1]:1 The principal author of the report was Professor John Perkins, the chief scientific adviser to BIS, and it was published in November 2013.[1]:1-2[2] Perkins' contract expired the next year and he left the BIS.[3] A 1980 paper, the Finniston Report made a similar review of the state of the engineering profession in the United Kingdom.[4]

Findings

Perkins stated that an engineering skills shortage was hampering the country's recovery from the Great Recession.[2] There was a "substantial demand for engineers" and an undersupply which meant that 73% of manufacturering companies had reported a difficulty in filling engineering roles since 2010.[5][2] More than half of the occupations listed in the British government's tier 2 shortage occupations list are in engineering with a further 20% for allied scientific or technical roles.[1]:12

The report showed that there was a failure to attract girls into the profession. It stated that only 35% of 11-14 year-old girls would consider a career in engineering and only 24% of their parents would consider it a suitable career for their daughters.[2] This fed through into the older age groups with only one in ten of British engineering professionals being female, the lowest proportion in any country of the European Union.[1]:15 Perkins stated that there was a lack of female role models from within the profession.[3]

Perkins showed that the profession was relying on immigrants to make up the skills deficit.[2] The report stated that in some sectors such as oil and gas or aerospace immigrants accounted for 20% of professional engineering roles and that 32% of students studying engineering and technology in the UK were from overseas.[1]:12

The Perkins report made 22 key recommendations for the government to address the skills shortage. This included working to promote the industry to girls, increasing the uptake of A-level physics, recruiting more physics teachers and introducing new vocational qualifications for 16-19 year olds. He also urged the professional engineering institutions to work to promote the sector to young people.[1]:3-5[2]

Impact

Upon his retirement Perkins expressed confidence that the government had implemented measures to address the skills shortage. This included providing additional university funding for STEM courses, to fund engineering research and to construct teaching facilities. He also highlighted work done by practising engineers in schools and colleges to promote the subject.[3] The government will introduce the first T Levels, a new technical qualification for 17-18 year olds from 2020.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Professor John Perkins' Review of Engineering Skills". Royal Academy of Engineering. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Burns, Judith (4 November 2013). "Engineering gap 'constrains' economy". BBC News. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Fitzgerald, Victoria (18 March 2015). "Professor John Perkins: science of success". The Manufacturer. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  4. ↑ ETB. "Engineering UK 2005: A Statistical Guide to Labour Supply" (PDF). Engineering UK. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "EEF appoints Professor John Perkins as engineering and skills adviser". EEF (former Engineering Employers' Federation). Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "Education Secretary announces first new T Levels". Gov.uk. British Government. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
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