Although manufacturing output is rising, 90,000 jobs in the West Midlands will prove hard to fill by 2015, warns new study

British manufacturing is at risk of “collapse” due to a worsening skills shortage that will leave thousands of hi-tech jobs unfilled over the next five years, a senior academic warns today.

Prof John Bryson of the University of Birmingham’s school of geography will tell an international conference on wealth creation that although the sector is thriving in terms of output, its future is bleak because of the failure of the education system to produce school leavers and graduates with the right expertise.

According to Bryson’s research, manufacturing produces more now in equivalent value of products than it did in 1966, the peak year for manufacturing employment in the UK. But companies fear their businesses may not survive into the next decade because of their inability to recruit employees with the right expertise.

Bryson, who has been working on the project for five years, said: “Policymakers and government no longer understand British industry. Unfortunately, manufacturing conjures up images of pollution, heavy engineering and industrial decline, but this does not describe the new breed of British manufacturing companies that are constantly adapting to the needs of the customer.”

Despite surveys showing at least 70 graduates chasing every job, Bryson estimates that there will be 90,000 hard-to-fill manufacturing jobs in the West Midlands alone over the next five years.

He claims education is the key to unlocking this problem: “The UK does not place an emphasis on this particular type of expertise and it is not promoted as a long-term career option, as it is seen as low-skilled. The firms that need the skilled labour do not have the capacity to offer training.”

Among examples highlighted by Bryson is Hudson’s of Birmingham, whose Acme Thunderer whistle have been blown by generations of football referees. Constant innovation means it produces new whistle designs every year, competing successfully with Chinese producers. He also cites a jewellery firm employing a 75-year-old, because there was no one else with the skills to do the job required.

UK manufacturer Dyson, which produces vacuum cleaners and other electrical products, recently announced plans to recruit 350 new staff to double the number of its UK engineers to 700.”It’s the specialists – motor engineers, mechanical engineers, etc

Business: Manufacturing sector | guardian.co.uk