The UK is experiencing a perfect storm in electrical engineering recruitment. On one hand, demand is increasing fast due to the growth of renewable energy, electric vehicles and industrial automation markets. But on the other hand, the number of students has remained at the same level for the past 20 years. This has created intense competition between employers for the best graduates.

The E3 Academy is helping to overcome this challenge by matching employers with young people after A-levels or in their first year of study at participating universities, the Universities of Newcastle, Bristol and Nottingham. Recruiting companies provide financial support and guaranteed employment on graduation, enabling scholars to focus on their studies. Summer work placements provide real-world experience and provide insight that helps the young people map out their future career paths. Furthermore, E3 Academy summer schools help scholars develop a broader professional network.

Having recently won funding from UKRI, the E3 Academy is now able to extend its scope by doubling the number of companies it works with.

Bill Drury, E3 Academy Chairman, says: “From an employer’s perspective, the E3 Academy takes risk out of recruitment and secures the best candidates long before graduation. Our process is designed to give young people the best possible experience of their early career. They graduate as company insiders who are ready to hit the ground running from day one and typically develop as high-achievers who make significant impact in their companies."

“We attract a lot of high-potential candidates from diverse backgrounds and we are scalable as an organisation. This means there is plenty of opportunity for new sponsoring companies to join the E3 Academy and build relationships with the electrical engineers of the future.”

Since it was established in 2008, the E3 Academy has worked with 10 sponsoring companies and has supported the development of almost 150 scholars, 93% of whom received first or upper second degrees and 80 percent of whom stay on after their first two years of employment. The scheme is actively supporting diversity in engineering, for example, women account for 40% of the intake.

Current sponsoring companies range from large engineering companies to businesses that are scaling up in size. They all share the need to develop a pipeline of electrical engineering talent and include Siemens Digital Industries, the technology company’s industrial automation division, as well as Control Techniques, the manufacturer of AC and DC drives, and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains business, as well as powertrain manufacturer Turntide Technologies and Yasa, which produces high-technology electric motors and controllers.

http://www.e3academy.org