Home-grown talent wanted

Feb 1 2008 by jez Davison, Evening Gazette

ENGINEERING bosses in the region have urged the industry to develop more home-grown talent the Association of Graduate Recruiters revealed one in four firms is looking to recruit workers from overseas.

Malcolm Potter, manager of Tees Valley Engineering Partnership said the perception of engineering as a “sunset industry” was making it difficult for employers to find British graduates with the right skills.

“More apprentices are being trained and more graduates are coming through to address the imbalance between supply and demand. “The recruitment of foreign labour might be a good short term fix but is not a sustainable solution for the future.”

However Brian Bunn, operations manager for Billingham-based engineering and design contractor Day & Zimmermann said: “The North-east has a high pedigree in engineering capabilities.”

Teesside University said it was seeing increased demand for science and technology courses from overseas firms, particularly in the Middle East, which regarded the UK as a world-leading training ground for engineers.