Amongst those challenges, she noted, are recruitment into the profession, along with retaining engineers and retraining them. “We are working with the industry to help with these issues,” she added.
Brian Holliday, ESCO co-chair and divisional director with Siemens Industrial Automation, responded: “We are delighted to be in conversation with the Government about skills and the need to demonstrate the capability of our technology.
“It is essential that we raise the sector’s profile. We as an industry contribute to all key sectors, but electronics needs a voice because it is embedded and intended to work without attention.”
He welcomed the fact that the apprenticeship budget had been protected ‘in real terms’ in the recent Spending Review. “Overall,” he added, “ESCO is positive about the contents of the Spending Review.”
Meanwhile, he noted that ESCO is continuing to develop its focus on Industry 4.0 and will use the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry as ‘the ideal place to show our approach’.
