Tackling the Skills Shortage: Strategies for Attracting Engineering Talent

The UK engineering sector continues to face a significant challenge that shows no signs of easing: a persistent and growing skills shortage. At PPR, we speak with businesses every day that are struggling to find qualified engineers across multiple disciplines. Companies are increasingly competing for the same limited pool of talent.

The skills gap affects nearly every engineering discipline – from electrical and mechanical to civil and systems engineering, and the impact is tangible. For many businesses, particularly smaller ones with limited recruitment resources, this situation creates genuine concern about future growth and sustainability.

While there’s no overnight solution to this complex problem, there are practical steps companies can take to improve their position in a competitive talent market. Drawing on our experience working with engineering firms across multiple sectors, we’ve compiled strategies that can help businesses not just survive but thrive despite the challenging recruitment landscape.

Understanding the Engineering Skills Gap

Before looking at solutions, it’s worth understanding the key factors driving the current skills shortage:

An ageing workforce: A significant percentage of the UK’s engineering workforce is approaching retirement age. The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) estimates that 19% of engineers are expected to retire by 2026, taking valuable knowledge and experience with them.

Limited pipeline of new talent: Despite initiatives to encourage STEM education, the UK isn’t producing enough engineering graduates to meet demand.

Brexit impact: The UK’s exit from the EU has reduced access to European talent pools that previously helped fill specialist engineering roles. Additional visa requirements and paperwork have made international recruitment more complex.

Perception problems: Engineering still struggles with image problems among young people. Many perceive it as old-fashioned and don’t consider a modern engineering career.

Practical Strategies to Attract Engineering Talent

While the skills shortage presents serious challenges, forward-thinking companies are finding ways to address it effectively.

Create Apprenticeship and Training Pathways

One of the most effective long-term strategies is developing your own talent pipeline. This might include:

• Structured apprenticeship programmes that combine practical work experience with classroom learning
• Partnerships with local colleges and universities
• Supporting existing staff to gain additional qualifications through part-time study

These approaches require investment and patience, but they build loyalty and allow you to shape skills specific to your business needs.

Reconsider Your Requirements

Many employers inadvertently limit their candidate pool by being overly specific about qualifications and experience. Consider whether:

• You could hire for potential and aptitude rather than specific experience
• Requirements for formal qualifications could be replaced with demonstrated capability
• Transferable skills from adjacent industries might bring fresh perspectives
• Part-qualified engineers could be supported to complete their training

Improve Your Employer Brand

In a competitive market, how engineers perceive your company matters. Focus on:

• Showcasing interesting projects and technical challenges
• Highlighting development opportunities and career progression
• Demonstrating your investment in new technologies and innovation
• Creating media content that features you and your team

Retain Your Existing Talent

Sometimes the best recruitment strategy is to keep the engineers you already have. This means:

• Conducting regular salary benchmarking to ensure competitiveness
• Creating clear career paths with continuous professional development opportunities
• Implementing mentoring programmes to transfer knowledge from experienced staff

Remember that every engineer who stays is one you don’t need to replace in a difficult market.

Widen Your Talent Pool

Engineering has traditionally drawn from a narrow demographic pool. Companies making real progress on the skills shortage are:

• Actively recruiting young people and women through specific programmes
• Creating more inclusive job adverts and recruitment processes
• Looking at career-changers with relevant transferable skills
• Exploring apprenticeships and work/training schemes.

Working with Recruitment Partners

At PPR, we see the skills shortage from both sides – employers struggling to find talent and engineers seeking the right opportunity. We can help by:

• Maintaining networks of passive candidates open to the right opportunity
• Advising on realistic market rates and package expectations
• Handling complex international recruitment processes and compliance
• Providing market intelligence on what competitors are offering

Good recruitment partners should feel like an extension of your talent acquisition team, bringing specialist knowledge of the engineering market that complements your understanding of your business needs.

Building for the Future

There’s no quick fix to the engineering skills shortage, but companies taking a strategic, multi-faceted approach are finding ways to secure the talent they need. The most successful are combining short-term tactics to fill immediate vacancies with longer-term strategies to build sustainable talent pipelines.

What’s clear is that traditional approaches of simply advertising vacancies and hoping for applications no longer work in most engineering disciplines. Companies need to be proactive, creative and willing to invest in developing talent.

If you’re facing challenges recruiting engineers for your business, we’d be happy to discuss your specific needs and how our specialist engineering recruitment team might help. Contact us on 01895 808188, email info@ppronline.co.uk, or use our online contact form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which engineering disciplines are experiencing the most severe skills shortages?

Currently, electrical, systems, and software engineering roles are particularly difficult to fill, along with specialists in renewable energy systems and sustainability. Civil engineers with infrastructure experience are also in high demand.

How long should we expect engineering vacancies to take to fill?

This varies by discipline and location, but many specialist engineering roles now take 3-6 months to fill, compared to 4-8 weeks five years ago. Planning recruitment well in advance is increasingly important.

Is it worth considering contractors for engineering positions?

Yes, for many companies, engineering contractors provide a viable solution, particularly for project-specific work or to fill gaps while permanent recruitment is underway.