Insights
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Our latest insight and analysis, on engineering and manufacturing sector news, from across the UK.
In a region with lower than average higher education enrolment – Bristol South is the Parliamentary constituency which sends a lower proportion of young people to university than any other – the advanced manufacturing and engineering (AME) sector provides opportunities for young people to gain skills and to have good careers through non-university routes such as apprenticeships.
As may be expected, the UK’s largest region also contains the UK’s largest number of AME sector employers – the South East has almost 7,000 more than the next on the list – and the second largest AME sector workforce.
The East’s AME employment base can be attributed in large part to strength in fabricated metal products and machine goods, while although the region is not usually regarded as a “big hitter” where automotive and aerospace are concerned, the sectors do have strong bases in the region, with Lotus and KLM among the larger employers.
Scotland has traditionally had great strength in sectors such as marine and defence, and that strength remains today.
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.
The lifeblood of the sector is a thriving base of micro-sized and SME-sized employers, which comprise over 99% of the total number of employers. The Welsh AME sector is given strong backing by the Welsh Government, which has recently (August 2018) announced plans to inject £3m of funding into new research hub in Cardiff to drive commercialisation.
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).
However, some parts of the region are strongly dependent on one or two major advanced manufacturing and engineering (AME) sector employers, such as Nissan in Sunderland and Hitachi in County Durham, and these large organisations support and sustain long supply chains within the region.
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 | 87.85578747628084 |
| Small | 9.601518026565465 |
| Medium | 2.049335863377609 |
| Large | 0.49335863377609107 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
144,903
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No Qualification | 2805 | 1482 |
| QCF1 GCSE(below grade C) & equivalent | 15315 | 11459 |
| QCF2 GCSE(A-C) & equivalent | 28977 | 26880 |
| QCF3 A level & equivalent | 34690 | 30583 |
| QCF4 HE below degree level | 14696 | 15141 |
| QCF5 Foundation degree | 5285 | 5695 |
| QCF6 First degree | 31123 | 34375 |
| QCF7 Other higher degree | 9885 | 10311 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 2127 | 2228 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
With 19% of the workforce being female, the South West AME sector is reflective of the sector across the UK when it comes to gender balance.
27,749
117,153
Gender 2023
In common with other parts of the UK, the South West’s large AME employers have made a concerted effort to bring in more female talent and Bristol University is backing the New Model in Technology and Engineering (NMITE) university in Hereford, which is aiming for a gender-balanced intake.
27,413
110,741
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 88.59299643531139 |
| Small | 8.91172153491298 |
| Medium | 1.9710631159572236 |
| Large | 0.5242189138184106 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
189,627
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 2769 | 1371 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 15569 | 10800 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 28563 | 23654 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 35445 | 28118 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 22154 | 22245 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 7509 | 7782 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 54312 | 58845 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 19057 | 19236 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 4249 | 4194 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
39,677
149,950
Gender 2023
38,533
137,712
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 86.96060037523452 |
| Small | 10.068792995622264 |
| Medium | 2.5015634771732334 |
| Large | 0.46904315196998125 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
139,623
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 2985 | 1647 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 14527 | 10769 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 26538 | 23835 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 28438 | 24223 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 13676 | 13953 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 4895 | 5249 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 33263 | 36559 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 12418 | 13168 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 2884 | 2986 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
At 24%, the East of England has a slightly higher female proportion of its workforce than the UK average. There could be a number of reasons for this – females might be more attracted to the cutting edge sectors in which the region is strong in than ‘traditional’ engineering sectors.
32,996
106,627
Gender 2023
Those ‘traditional’ AME sectors, however, are making a concerted effort to broaden their appeal and attract a more gender diverse talent base.
32,856
99,533
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Micro | 90.95607235142118 |
| Small | 7.0090439276485785 |
| Medium | 1.614987080103359 |
| Large | 0.4198966408268734 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
107,941
| Qualification level | 2018 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 3042 | 1730 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 10182 | 8102 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 15247 | 13013 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 17488 | 13573 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 13557 | 13850 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 4486 | 4746 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 31793 | 34880 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 9961 | 10680 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 2185 | 2274 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
20,190
87,750
Gender 2023
20,092
82,757
| 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 | 87.37201365187714 |
| Small | 9.300341296928327 |
| Medium | 2.7303754266211606 |
| Large | 0.5972696245733788 |
Sector Profile
2018 Employment in AME
79,798
| Qualification Level | 2018 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 3401 | 1538 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 11181 | 8941 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 18861 | 17258 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 19677 | 17352 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 7442 | 8018 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 2531 | 2809 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 12044 | 13803 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 3892 | 4083 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 771 | 789 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
13,376
66,422
Gender 2023
13,159
61,431
| 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 | 89.3709327548807 |
| Small | 7.736804049168475 |
| Medium | 2.386117136659436 |
| Large | 0.5061460592913956 |
Regional Profile
2018 Employment in AME
56,051
| 2018 | 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| No qualification | 1750 | 978 |
| QCF1 GCSE (below grade C) & equivalent | 7242 | 6109 |
| QCF2 GCSE (A-C) & equivalent | 11962 | 10793 |
| QCF3 A Level & equivalent | 14839 | 12988 |
| QCF4 HE below Degree Level | 5280 | 5321 |
| QCF5 Foundation Degree | 1536 | 1600 |
| QCF6 First Degree | 9774 | 10581 |
| QCF7 Other Higher Degree | 3025 | 3388 |
| QCF8 Doctorate | 642 | 709 |
Employment by Qualification Level
Gender 2018
7,929
48,122
Gender 2023
7,971
44,495
| 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