Executive summary -- Recruitment trends and skills shortages -- Filling the gap - the role of education -- Expanding and investing in the workforce -- Conclusion -- IET recommendations -- Acknowledgements

Annual survey of businesses carried out by IET to gauge the state of skills in the engineering and technology sector. Identifies ongoing high demand for engineers, with jobs on the increase this year in many sectors, and businesses generally reporting increased confidence in their ability to recruit the numbers of employees they need. However, more than half of employers surveyed say that recruits don?t reach the expected standard and nearly two thirds think skills gaps are a threat to their business. The report highlights how together the industry can develop the next generation of engineering and IT employees - but also how employers can ensure their experienced staff increase and retain their skills - and address these gaps in partnership with education institutions and with government.