From Crisis to Capability – Can Flexible Education Solve the Engineering Skills Gap?

Across the UK, employers are struggling to find the engineering talent they need while thousands of young people and mid career professionals are still looking for the right opportunity. We talk about a skills gap, but what if the real problem is how the system is set up to develop and connect talent in the first place. In this special episode, Josh brings the full recording of a live webinar he hosted with The Open University: a panel conversation built around the Open University Business Barometer 2025 and what it reveals about the scale of the challenge. The report is based on responses from more than 2,000 senior decision makers and shines a light on where shortages are being felt most, and where flexible education could unlock new capability. Josh is joined by leaders from industry and academia who are working with this reality every day. They explore why 58 percent of engineering and construction employers are reporting skills shortages, how an ageing workforce and a missing mid career layer are creating pressure, and why so many engineering graduates never actually enter engineering roles. Across the conversation, the panel dig into themes that sit at the heart of Engineer a Career: how we make engineering careers more visible and human how we attract and retain women and under represented groups how flexible routes such as Open University study and apprenticeships can support people already in work, what it really takes for employers to treat learning as a benefit rather than a tick box. This episode goes beyond the headlines. The panel explore mindset versus qualifications, the image problem engineering still carries, the expectations of Gen Z around purpose, culture and development, and the opportunity to widen access for groups who have been overlooked for too long including career changers, returners and those currently not in education, employment or training. If you are an employer trying to build capability, an educator rethinking how to support learners, or a current or future engineer trying to understand where you fit in, this conversation will give you data, examples and ideas you can act on. Watch on YouTube: youtube.com/@Engineeracareer Follow Engineer a Career LinkedIn: @engineeracareer Instagram: @engineeracareer TikTok: @engineer.a.career Website: www.engineeracareer.co.uk Featuring :- Josh Robertson, Founder, Engineer a Career Mark Cameron, CEO, The 5% Club Faye Banks, Global Head of Transmission and Distribution, Turner and Townsend Gareth Neighbour, Senior Lecturer in Engineering, The Open University Neil Arlett, Head of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Biffa