One of the main problems in the Engineering profession in the modern times is the struggle of engineering firms to recruit new graduates from universities and colleges. Even if the competition among engineering firms with regards to recruiting or hiring new graduates are still fierce, there has been a shortage of graduate engineers (Harris, 2014). One of the main reasons for the engineer graduate shortage is the uneven market for jobs and employment. Some of the new engineer graduates are attracted to well-known firms. Well-known firms have the large budget for marketing and pulling huge number of engineering graduates. In this case, engineering graduates are fighting over these jobs while the other engineering firms are struggling.
Smaller companies or less well-known engineering firms are struggling to get engineer graduates, especially those from the rural locations (Richardson, 2012). The uneven job markets for engineering firms are also due to the uneven marketing strategies of various companies (Paton, 2012). The problem of engineering graduate shortage is also very severe when it comes to specialized engineering majors such as nuclear engineering. One reason for this shortage of specialized engineering majors is the lack of students acquiring these types of courses. This problem could affect larger firms. For example, several firms are having difficulties in acquiring engineers who are specialized in using advanced technologies.
Another cause of the problem with the struggle of engineering firms to recruit graduates is the low quantity of students taking up engineering majors. The quantity of science and engineering graduates are low and it could greatly affect the progress of several firms. One of the main reasons why most students are not entering engineering profession is their lack of understanding about the wide opportunities which are available to the sector. The small engineering firms are also having difficulties in promoting the engineering sector. The large engineering firms are already coming to schools and universities in order to promote their firm since they already have the budget. They are promoting their firms through career orientation and job fairs. The small engineering firms have no budget for these types of activities which is one reason why they are struggling to recruit new engineering graduates.
The engineering sector is also struggling to compete with the other sectors. Major universities and colleges offering engineering courses are not efficient and effective in recruiting engineering students, which is one of the reasons why there is a small quantity of engineering graduates. Some of the firms such as accountancy and bank sector are continuously attracting students in taking up their majors or courses. Another main reason for the lack of engineering students is the publicity regarding the engineering sector (Paton, 2012). In most of the social media sites and statistics shown in public, the engineering profession is considered the most difficult. Several students are afraid of taking up engineering majors due to their fear of failure (Richardson, 2012).
The universities and colleges have a major role in promoting the engineering sector to the future college students. One possible solution to the decreasing engineer graduates is to increase the take-up of industrial placements or on-the-job training courses. In this case, students would be able to understand the wide range of available opportunities for engineering graduates. The market for engineering firm should also be increased in order to sustain several small engineering firms.
Reference
Harris, S. (2014). Why engineering firms struggling to recruit graduates?. The Engineer. Retrieved from http://www.theengineer.co.uk/why-are-engineering-firms-struggling-to-recruit-graduates/.
Richardson, H. (2012). Warning over shortage of engineering graduates. BBC News. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/education-19760351.
Paton, G. (2012). Third of companies’ struggling to recruit skilled graduates. The Telegraph. Retrieved from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/9036281/Third-of-companies-struggling-to-recruit-skilled-graduates.html.
