16th January 2024

The Engineering and Manufacturing sector is crucial to the UK economy. In Buckinghamshire, about 28,000 people have engineering jobs, making up around 11% of the county's workforce. A big chunk of them -12,000, are doing high-performance engineering and it's getting even bigger thanks to the HS2 project. Places like the Silverstone Technology Cluster and Westcott Venture Park are gearing up too, but we really need more young people learning mechanical, electrical, and environmental engineering. However, across these counties there's a shortage of training spots for newcomers, whether you're looking at apprenticeships or full-time programmes for 16 to 18-year-olds. 

Oxfordshire is all about Manufacturing (Science and Innovation). Even though it's not the biggest, this sector has 4,400 workers and has lots of growth potential because of new tech. Money is flowing in, especially in Health and Life Sciences, and that's likely to bring more jobs in the supply chain. There are 120 companies in this sector, 4% more than in 2017. Most of them are small or tiny, with only a handful being medium-sized or big.

Now, let's zoom into Wiltshire. Manufacturing is 11% of all the jobs in Swindon & Wiltshire, and the green economy is booming here, covering energy, fuels, efficiency, and infrastructure so there's a chance to create 20,000 jobs. Both Swindon and Wiltshire boast strong segments within the broader manufacturing sector. Notably, Dyson's UK headquarters are located in Malmesbury. Swindon, on the other hand, showcases a distinct Manufacturing and Engineering footprint, particularly excelling in pharmaceutical manufacturing, where employment is eight times higher than the national average.

SKILLS NEEDED ACROSS THE SECTOR

Berks & Oxon: Production Manager • Mechanical Engineer • Design & Development Engineer • Production & Process Engineer • Electrical & Electronic Engineer • Engineering Technician • Quality Assurance Technician.

Bucks: Mechanical Engineer • Electrical Engineer • Environmental Engineer

Wilts: Mechanical Engineer • Design Engineer • Data Analyst • Software Developer • Sales Staff • Project Manager • Research & Development Manager • Quality Assurance technician.
Net Zero, decarbonisation and sustainability roles are particularly in demand now and in the future.

CURRENT COURSES

Abingdon & Witney College

•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Electrical & Electronic)
•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Mechanical)
•    Level 1 and 2 BTEC diplomas: Engineering

UTC Oxford / Swindon

•    Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma Engineering
•    Level 3 BTEC Diploma Engineering
•    T Level in Engineering, Manufacturing, Process, and Control (from 2024)
•    A Level Product Design

Berks Activate Learning

•    Level 2 BTEC Extended Certificate in Performance Engineering
•    Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma Performance Engineering

Bucks College Group

•    None

Henley College

•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Electrical & Electronic)
•    Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma Performance Engineering

Swindon College

•    Level 2 BTEC Certificate Engineering Technologies
•    HNC Engineering

Cirencester College

•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Electrical & Electronic)
•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing (Mechanical)
•    T Level: Engineering: Green Futures (Maintenance, Installation and Repair) 
•    T Level: Engineering Manufacturing (Process and Control)

Wiltshire College

•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing
•    Level 2 BTEC Diploma: Engineering
•    Level 1 BTEC Diploma: Agricultural Engineering
•    Level 2 & 3 BTEC Diploma: Motorsport Engineering
•    Leve 2 & 3 BTEC Diploma: Land-Based Engineering
•    HNC & HND Engineering 
•    BSc Motorsport Technology

Bath College

•    T Level: Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing
•    HNC: Engineering 

Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, Bucks New University

•    Various Engineering BSc and Masters programmes.

Apprenticeships

A wide range of Level 2 – 6 apprenticeships across a diverse number of companies

FUTURE PLANS 

Berks & Oxon: The LSIP (Local Skills Improvement Plan) is all about boosting growth, progress, and education in specific important areas. From 2024, UTC Oxfordshire and Abingdon & Witney College are the go-to places for the T Level in Engineering, Manufacturing, Process, and Control. But here's the thing – there's no place in Oxfordshire offering Maintenance, Installation, and Repair for Engineering and Manufacturing. Hopefully that will be addressed soon!

The county is pushing Education and Training Providers to get creative with funding. They can tap into sources like LSIF, the Innovation Fund, or Skills Bootcamps to tackle skills needs. The buzzword here is collaboration! LSIF is all about teaming up to invest in advanced tech, equipment, and spaces for Science and Innovation.

We know the industry needs more Product Development Managers, Process Leaders and Senior CAD Engineers and there is a plan to form a group to blaze the trail for Apprenticeship development.
 
Bucks: BCG (Buckinghamshire College Group) is missing out on engineering courses, so they are currently hatching a plan to create a top-notch engineering programme for 16-18-year-olds. This isn't your average programme – they’re going big on specialized areas like mechanical, electrical, and environmental engineering, and even throwing in some aerospace and robotics at higher levels.

Get ready too for a collaboration between employers and learning providers. They’re teaming up to design courses, bring in guest lecturers, work on real-life projects, create case studies and assignments, hand out equipment, offer master classes, and bring in industry experts to help lecturers with technical training.

To get more employers excited about apprenticeships, they’re also shining a spotlight on opportunities in Electrical Engineering at levels 3 and 4, and even higher in aerospace and robotics. Plus, they’re setting up off-job training spots in Westcott and Silverstone. It's all about building up those essential skills with mentor events, competitions, master classes, and more.

Wiltshire: Plans currently in development.

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