Following last week’s announcement about sixth form colleges, BSRIA is concerned that science A-levels could be cut due as a result of financial pressures.
The association says that this would hinder the search for suitable, skilled engineering graduates.
BSRIA says that the announcement is at odds with the fact that demand for workers in the construction sector is outpacing all other sectors of the economy, according to a new report published by consultants KPMG and REC. The report puts construction in joint-first place out of nine industries in the table of demand for permanent staff – and top in the rankings for temporary staff.
The construction industry in particular is struggling to keep pace with demand and there is a risk that a shortage of skilled labour in this sector could impede Britain’s major building projects and put the brakes on the country’s booming real estate market, BSRIA says.
Sixth form colleges have faced deeper cuts to their budgets than any other group of institutions, with some losing a third of their funding between 2011 and 2016. The future is ‘equally bleak’, as the government has decided not to protect the 16-19 education budget from spending cuts. Results from this week’s Sixth Form Colleges’ Association questionnaire found that just under a quarter of respondents reported cuts in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects.
BSRIA chief executive, Julia Evans, said: “This is a shambles and a worry for the future of science, engineering, the construction industry and the economy at large. Funding for the sciences is crucial for the qualifications and skills required for our future engineers.
“Government needs to think proactively and long-term about this – which doesn’t appear to be the case right now. A reduction in such funding is certainly a false economy when businesses are struggling to find the talent they need.”