UK 'running out of vital graduates' - graduate jobs

The UK is in danger of running out of the skilled engineering graduates that industry will need to help pull the economy out of recession, according to the Engineering and Technology Board.

It says that while the UK must find half a million engineers to fill manufacturing jobs over the next seven years, the number coming into the workplace totals just 40,000 a year.

Of those, it says, many lack the higher-level skills needed to help the country rebuild the strong manufacturing base needed to get some balance back into the economy.

It warns of a 30% fall in engineering, technology and manufacturing lecturers as 17% fewer college students take production and manufacturing degrees at university.

And it says: "These shortages of new engineers - and of the further-education lecturers to train them - could seriously jeopardise the economy by impacting on successful British industries, including manufacturing, aerospace and construction."

Board chief executive Paul Jackson said: "Manufacturing is incredibly important to the UK, and engineering important to manufacturing. The question is whether we are doing enough soon enough."