Incentivise apprenticeships

Make factory work, production line jobs, careers in engineering more appealing to young people by creating world-leading apprenticeship schemes where they can learn the trade. When young people start these jobs and are given responsibility, they invariably really enjoy them and quickly start to flourish – but it's not seen as 'cool' or even 'respected' work to get into. A well-funded, well-planned apprenticeship scheme, which gets 18-21 year olds quickly earning a decent salary and taking real responsibility, could transform perceptions of this sector and revitalise its appeal to the next generation.

Our industry has always been powered by people coming up with brilliant engineering ideas which then spawn whole businesses and factories to bring them to market. But these ideas need the right environment to flourish – in particular, the combination of people who instinctively understand the needs and desires of the day, and who are familiar with the work and processes of manufacturing products to meet those needs. Without new talent coming through, that environment can't exist and the the industry will inevitably decline. But we won't get new talent as long as banking or 'digital media' or 'public relations in sport' look like better ways to impress your friends and/or earn good money. Apprenticeships in the manufacturing industry have a long and impressive history in this country and it's time we make them a real and vaunted career option again.