Vocational Skills Shortage in the UK: The True Statistics
University is the way to go, right? Everybody needs a degree for a decent job.
That’s how many young people are trained to think; but the truth is, the unemployment rate in the UK is the lowest it’s been since the 70s. With so many jobs going, how can you make your skills count?
The answer may very well be in the decision to take up a vocational skill. Especially with a huge skills shortage about to hit the UK job market…
Skills shortages in the UK
Not enough people today work with their hands. Not enough people have the skills to work in a vocational field. We’re already seeing this in Britain but many are already thinking ahead to the next twenty years – because it’s going to get worse.
74% of finance directors are concerned that the skills gap resulting from the widespread retirement of ‘baby boomers’ will have a negative impact on their organisation over the next two years (Employee). It seems to be the older generations who were brought up in a trade – welding, engineering, construction, healthcare, and so on. With over half of UK students going onto university each year, that only leaves 50% to fill these major skills gaps.
What this means for the UK
It may be bad news for hiring managers, but for those in a vocational field, they’re soon going to benefit from a huge boom in the job market. So too will the assessors and quality assurers who oversee the massive influx of training about to explode.
That’s where you come in!
In order for someone to become skilled, they need training. The role of an NVQ Assessor is to do just that. The NVQ Assessor is there to help develop the knowledge and skills of apprentices in the workplace. Read more about the role on our ‘Roles and Responsibilities of an Assessor‘ page.
It should come as no surprise when we say there is a phenomenal demand for assessors across virtually all sectors. All you need to do is search for assessor vacancies online and within seconds you’ll be swamped with the positions waiting to be filled.
If you’re someone experienced in a skilled trade, then you might be just what the market needs to help close the approaching skills gap. Why not find out if becoming an NVQ assessor is for you?
Call us on 01205 805 155 to find out more.
Steve is a Chartered Manager and a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
He provides Educational Consultancy to the 19+ sector as well as being an Assessor, IQA, EPA and Digital Marketing Professional. When not doing any of these he finds time, every now and then, to write blogs and articles.