I imagine that this will be an evolutionary process for me; it will take me several attempts to achieve a style that others find interesting, that is topical, relevant, and above all not boring.

I thought I would start with the shortage of STEM skills.

Every week for months I have seen articles and interviews with senior business leaders bemoaning the fact that they can’t get the graduates with the required skills or in specific disciplines. In particular engineering and IT are mentioned regularly.

Yet these are often companies that we have tried hard on many occasions to engage in EDT activities which would raise their profile as an employer with talented students, inform them of the career opportunities available, and create a network or talent pipeline.

There is therefore a “dis-connect” between what these senior leaders know is required and wish to see, and what they are prepared to do about it.

There is a distinct lack of investment in the future talent pipeline, particularly for STEM. Much of the activity that is undertaken to inspire, motivate and inform the next generation tends to be ad-hoc, light weight, poorly targeted and above all seen as a cost rather than a long term investment.

I came across another example (no names), where the rep from the company was pleased to be able to save £2000, and considered that the company’s difficulty in recruiting through the “milk round” could be solved by an event costing £5000. Rather if £100,000 per year for 5 years is invested in a structured programme then the problem could be solved, and would be worth every penny!

I perceive in my discussions with many corporate managers that they don’t quite appreciate the seriousness of the demographic issues facing us. But I will come back to this topic next time.
Meantime, we have to keep getting out and engaging senior company managers in discussion, persuading them that if they invest in the talent pipeline then it will be fully justified; and we can help them deliver.