Author

Antoni Masny, Sales and Marketing at ZOT Engineering

4 minute read

Addressing the decreasing manufacturing workforce in the UK

The growing shortage of skilled workers choosing to build their careers in manufacturing continues to influence the performance of the industry throughout the United Kingdom.

According to the Engineering Skills Gap Analysis for Scotland report from Scottish Engineering, there is a growing need to replace and train a new workforce for the manufacturing and engineering roles in the industry. Considering the expected retirements and business growth, the industry will require an additional 58% of the current workforce volume by 2027.

Many businesses still struggle to fill all the positions necessary for the industry to grow at a steady pace and to challenge manufacturers from other parts of the world. Based on research conducted by Barclays in 2024, 97.5% of manufacturers agree that hiring and retaining skilled workers poses a challenge to their business. Additionally, 75% of surveyed manufacturers believe that a shortage of skilled employees is one of the top barriers to company growth. This presents a challenge for the manufacturing industry, as many businesses need to invest extra resources into attracting employees to join them, as well as taking on more responsibility for their in-house training.

This challenge needs to be addressed collectively by the whole manufacturing industry. Developing talent through apprenticeships, engaging with local educational institutions and with people entering the workforce are necessary steps to attract and retain talent in the sector.

To change the status quo, ZOT Engineering, a contract electronics manufacturer serving the electronics industry from Musselburgh since 1975, recently hosted groups of students from Napier and Heriot-Watt Universities’ schools of engineering. By collaborating with the lecturers at these two renowned institutions, ZOT successfully introduced manufacturing as a potential career path for talented and skilled individuals who may now consider developing their skills in the field of electronics manufacturing.

The students had a chance to see behind the scenes of a complete manufacturing service, from building bare boards in the PCB division, to populating and assembling final products and testing them in the Assembly division and seeing how the enclosures are made in the Sheet Metal division. Such a holistic experience is not available to people entering the workforce in other businesses in Scotland, and not many across the whole of the United Kingdom, as the electronics manufacturing industry in the region has declined since the 1980s.

The ability to see an end-to-end service and have it explained by professionals with decades of experience allows the students to find their niche in manufacturing, with many of them later expressing their interest in choosing a career in manufacturing after graduation. One of the lecturers at Heriot-Watt University stated that the “students found it to be a thoroughly rewarding and informative afternoon”.

Investments like this are a vital part of growing the industry in the region. Introducing one’s business to the emerging workforce during their education stage places them among the first to be considered when applying for a first job after graduation. Even more importantly, inviting university students to see behind the scenes of electronics manufacturing will allow them to enter the workforce with a unique insight into the operations of a business in the sector.

This initiative is an effect of a long-standing company strategy to enable new entrants to the manufacturing workforce to succeed in the industry. ZOT has already built an apprenticeship programme, which allows a group of six to ten people a year to gain professional experience and education in the field. The company also sponsors various university activities through supplying electronics to them, allowing students to pursue their passion in electronics.

In essence Zot Engineering sees this investment as essential to ensure that we have the skills to preserve the remaining electronics manufacturing in Scotland, given its place as a fundamental building block of integrated engineering systems. The Engineering Skills Gap Analysis for Scotland is a clear call to industry for action in all areas of engineering. Taking the time to engage undergraduates feels like a worthwhile investment to discourage the loss of that talent on graduation to other sectors, and maintaining a commitment to apprenticeships is essential to ensure a pipeline of skilled technicians who are industry ready.

About ZOT Engineering

ZOT Engineering is a leading Scottish contract electronics manufacturer established in 1975. By offering an integrated service including PCB manufacturing, electro-mechanical assembly, sheet metal fabrication and final box builds in one location in Scotland, ZOT enables its teams and customers to grow in all areas of manufacturing with minimal effort.

Learn more about ZOT at: www.zot.co.uk