(PRI: Warrendale, PA) -- A recent report about engineering in the United Kingdom in 2012 notes that 63 percent of UK employers in manufacturing are already experiencing difficulty recruiting individuals with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) skills and knowledge. This is despite the fact that the replacement demand and recruitment in manufacturing will rise by an estimated 29 percent in professional occupations and by 16 percent in skilled trade occupations by 2017 in the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom is also experiencing issues specifically in the aerospace sector. Just over half of those qualifying in aerospace engineering (57.6%) went into an engineering and technology occupation compared with nearly three-quarters (72.2%) who graduated in civil engineering. For those 425 UK domiciled individuals who qualified in 2009/2010 in aerospace engineering, only 145 (34%) went on to work in manufacturing. Other destinations included wholesale, retail, construction, finance, and insurance. In addition, aerospace engineering as a degree was less popular for young people than other engineering fields such as civil engineering (1,325 graduates).

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