Recruitment expert says more education from school age is needed to close technical skills gap

CEO of Toro Recruitment, Daniel Pope, has found that there is an increasing number of technical roles appearing on the job market, with a decreasing number of suitable candidates.

He and his team at the Fareham-based firm are finding it challenging to find suitable technical candidates for their clients.

He said: ‘The Utilities and Energy industries have a significant shortage of skilled technical candidates, impacting GDP in the UK. There are many jobs out there and a lot of candidates, however, the skills gap means companies are unable to find suitable technical candidates.

Daniel believes the answer to this is encouraging more young people to consider highly technical skill sets to support the required growth of the UK GDP and associated business needs.

He said: ‘Some students leave school and want to go head-first into the workplace, opting for jobs that require little technical skill, as they have a high chance of success upon application.

‘Technical expertise is not at the forefront of people’s minds when considering career choices. At career days, schools and colleges emphasise on public sector careers and job titles but not on the technical expertise that underpins them.

‘Closing the gap starts here. The emphasis should be on employers and the education sector to encourage young people to consider the right educational route, be it through apprenticeships or trainee roles.’

Currently, the unemployment rate in the UK is 3.8 per cent and the ONS states that there are currently around 1.29 million active UK vacancies.