Engineers urged to pass on their skills
Engineers are being urged to pass on their experience and expertise to others by becoming a teacher, tutor or trainer in the further education (FE) sector, under a new initiative called Pass on Your Skills. The campaign addresses the skills shortage that means that 20,000 jobs in the engineering sector are unfulfilled, and that 71% of companies face problems hiring experienced staff.
The new initiative, organised by Lifelong Learning UK, aims to help address the issue by offering free courses to engineering professionals. The courses – called Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (PTLLS) – have to be completed by all new skills teachers before they are allowed to teach without mentoring and support from a qualified person.
The drive to attract engineering professionals follows a successful pilot scheme which recruited and trained construction professionals to teach in the FE sector.
"Many professionals in the engineering sector have a huge wealth of experience and expertise which could be used help to train the workforce of the future," says Saskia Coplans, the Pass on Your Skills project manager. "The PTLLS courses are designed to help professionals to learn how to pass on their skills by developing teaching skills and confidence."
Participants can choose whether to become involved full-time or for a few hours a week.
Lifelong Learning UK is one of 25 sector skills councils that make up the Skills for Business Network, set up by employers to raise skills levels among the workforce as a whole through better training and development.
