Insights
Our industry expertise and data, allows us to bring together individuals, educators, employers and policymakers, informing better decisions about the engineering skills needed to succeed, today and tomorrow.
Our latest insight and analysis, on engineering and manufacturing sector news, from across the UK.
The region was a hotbed of manufacturing during the first Industrial Revolution and it is leading the way in the current, fourth Industrial Revolution too, with a pilot for Made Smarter aimed at embedding new digital skills in the industrial SME base currently being developed.
South Yorkshire is a manufacturing hub – it makes up 17% of the Sheffield City Region’s employment, compared with 13% nationally. Meanwhile, Humberside is an important UK centre for the marine industry.
During the latter part of the twentieth century, the UK government supported a number of high-profile enterprises such as the DeLorean car plant and Bombardier’s aerospace facility in Belfast (the latter moved from southern England after World War 2).
The East Midlands (AME) industries include aerospace (centred on Rolls-Royce at Derby), automotive (focused on Toyota in Derbyshire) and rail (with Bombardier in Derby being the key employer).
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 87.93253852864204 |
| Small | 9.450421634195987 |
| Medium | 2.180866530968305 |
| Large | 0.4361733061936609 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
161,874
| Qualification level | 2018 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 4089 | 2230 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 17457 | 14173 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 31167 | 28630 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 34527 | 28618 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 16992 | 17402 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 5323 | 5575 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 37316 | 40792 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 12176 | 13033 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 2828 | 2983 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
27,373
134,501
Gender 2023
27,499
125,937
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 83.73807458803122 |
| Small | 12.445793581960105 |
| Medium | 3.2523850823937557 |
| Large | 0.5637467476149176 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
120,346
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 4029 | 2410 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 14893 | 11802 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 23471 | 20979 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 28493 | 24294 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 12333 | 13407 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 3905 | 4329 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 23980 | 27544 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 7694 | 8160 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 1549 | 1616 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
20,974
99,373
Gender 2023
21,260
93,281
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 84.98402555910543 |
| Small | 11.821086261980831 |
| Medium | 2.7156549520766773 |
| Large | 0.4792332268370607 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
38,878
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 2791 | 1577 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 4925 | 4431 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 8617 | 8014 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 8592 | 7148 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 3561 | 3712 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 1203 | 1266 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 6003 | 6540 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 2640 | 3159 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 546 | 644 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
6,618
32,261
Gender 2023
6,562
29,929
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 85443.58311800173 |
| Small | 11326.44272179156 |
| Medium | 2799.3109388458224 |
| Large | 430.66322136089576 |
Regional Profile
In common with the rest of the UK, the East Midlands AME sector is largely comprised of micro-sized organisations.
2018 Employment in AME
112,377
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 2994 | 1519 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 14500 | 11865 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 23202 | 21592 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 26739 | 23543 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 11305 | 12804 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 3637 | 4002 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 22225 | 25064 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 6401 | 7109 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 1374 | 1518 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
There is expected to be a greater decline in the numbers of males employed in the East Midlands AME sector than the number of females in the medium term. The region is amongst the least diverse when it comes to the AME workforce, with 17% being female.
18,986
93,390
Gender 2023
There is expected to be an increase in female employment in the medium term, whereas
across the UK there is expected to be a slight decline.
19,324
88,972