The
automotive industry is suffering from a massive shortfall in technical and
engineering skills at all levels.
A
study by the Engineering and Marine Training Authority (EMTA) shows that 74 per
cent of firms in the sector have a shortage of technical or engineering staff.
The
sector itself employs some 850,000 people and is worth approximately £40bn.
This comprises 3.4 per cent of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product.
The
EMTA Labour Market Survey 2002 drew responses from 370 establishments in the UK.
Basic
skills were found to be lacking by almost 20 per cent of employers.
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More
than 10 per cent also report a lack of IT skills among their staff. www.emta.org.uk