Bridging the Skills Gap in Engineerin

- Many employers say young engineers don’t have the skills they need, while young graduates are eager to work but can’t get hired. How do we break this cycle?

- This situation feels like a classic Catch-22: employers want “work-ready” graduates, but graduates can’t become work-ready without opportunities. Apprenticeships and graduate programmes help, but they are limited and often only available in larger organisations.

So the question is:

  • Do we need more industry–education partnerships (live projects, mentoring, placements)?

  • Could accredited online learning or micro-credentials be an acceptable alternative?

  • Or is the real issue that young engineers already have the skills but don’t know how to present them to employers?

  • Should employers expect a “finished product” or invest more in shaping raw talent?

If engineers are problem solvers, surely we can solve this too. I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on how we can build a stronger bridge between education and employment.