13. Engineering and the Skills Crisis in the UK and USA: A Comparative Analysis of Employer-Engaged Education

Manufacturing-related engineering skill shortages are being experienced in the USA and the UK. In this chapter we compare two models of employer-engagement in the education of 14- to 19-year-olds. The first model, University Technical Colleges (UTC), are supported by the UK government and engage national employers in developing localised solutions to skill demand in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM)-related occupations. The second approach, based in Chicago, USA, is the product of a local coalition of manufacturing firms and organisations, the Chicago Manufacturing Renaissance Council (CMRC). The CMRC has created a manufacturing-oriented training programme at a public high school called Austin Polytechnic Academy (APA). The APA provides specialist engineering-related education within a “normal” school environment. They pull in small- and medium-sized enterprises as partner organisations to offer work-based learning opportunities for APA students through summer internships, job shadowing, mentoring, and eventual job placement. These two examples offer alternative approaches to developing vocational education for the engineering sector. Employer-engagement in the education of young people is shown to add value in the form of exposure to the engineering sector, preparedness for work, potential opportunities for employment and ongoing career progression. This form of value is not identified in traditional academic performance measures and risks undermining the advantage of including businesses in the development of classroom and applied learning structures.