Shortage of Engineers is damaging our economy.

In his speech to the 2011 Tory Party Conference, George Osborne highlighted the development of a new wonder-material, ‘Graphene’ by researchers at the University of Manchester. He correctly explained how the material –with its properties of extreme high strength, flexibility and electrical superconductivity - had thousands of potential applications - and that our region was well placed to be the world-leader in ‘Graphene Industries’. He even pledged £50m of funding to assist with its development.

To date, only 1% of the patents for applications of Graphene have been filed in the UK. Firms in the USA, China, Germany and Japan have over 90% of the patents. Even South Korea, a country with a population of 2/3^rds that of our own has filed nearly 25 times the number Graphene Patents.

This unfortunate and all too familiar tale of ‘defeat snatched from the jaws of victory’ illustrates perfectly the shortcomings of this and previous governments when it comes to understanding science, technology and industry.

The UK has world-leading facilities when it comes to scientific research. However, we also have a terrible shortage of Engineers to develop these new technologies into saleable products. Research by the IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) reveals that 59% of companies were concerned that a shortage of Engineers posed a threat to their business and prevented them investing in the UK.

On my visits to schools as part of the Rotary Club’s ‘Science Week’, I am often taken aback by students who don’t even know what Engineering is, but are enthralled when I explain the interesting, varied and well-paid jobs available in the sector.

So how has the government risen to this challenge? It has scrapped GCSEs in Engineering, Manufacturing and Electronics. Unable reduce the influx of unskilled labour from the EU, it has ruthlessly clamped down on immigration of highly skilled individuals from non-EU countries. According to Home Office figures, only 1,171 Engineers entered the UK from outside the EU last year. This pales into insignificance to the 87,000 new Engineers required each year to meet demand (IET figure).

What is more, non-EU postgraduate students (a majority of research students - just like Andre Geim and Knstantin Novoselov who developed Graphene) are now being asked to leave the UK after their studies, taking all their research and knowhow with them. This is a government sponsored brain drain.

Industry does not need hand-outs of taxpayer’s money. More than anything it needs a well-educated workforce, equipped with the skills necessary for the UK to compete with the most advanced economies in the world.

UKIP’s policies of scrapping Tuition Fees on STEM subjects and introducing an Australian Style Points-Based Immigration policy based on the needs of industry will address this problem.

Cllr. Stuart Hutton CEng MIET

UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Tatton.