Mark Pritchard, has pledged support to help fix the engineering skills shortage by encouraging employers in The Wrekin to work with schools to give young people work experience opportunities and inspirational information about the many exciting careers in engineering and technology.

Mark Pritchard MP has signed up to the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) pledge to support engineering in his constituency. As part of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, the MP is urging employers in his constituency to work proactively with local schools and colleges.

Mr Pritchard said: “Having signed the IET Skills Pledge as part of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, I am now calling on engineering companies in The Wrekin to work closely with local schools and colleges.”

“There are a number of great engineering businesses in The Wrekin and it is vital that we all work together to encourage more young people to pursue careers in engineering”.

The IET pledge also calls for MPs to encourage girls and boys to consider STEM careers, promote the value of vocational STEM subjects and promote STEM careers with parents.

The motivation for the pledge comes in response to findings from the IET’s 2014 Engineering and Technology Skills and Demand in Industry survey, which indicate that 53 per cent of employers believe they should get more involved with schools, colleges and universities to help change the perception of engineering among young people.

IET Chief Executive, Nigel Fine, explains: “Demand for engineers in the UK remains high. We need 87,000 new engineers each year for the next decade, so there is a critical need to do more to promote engineering as an appealing career choice to young people.

“It is encouraging to see from our survey that over half of engineering employers recognise that they have a crucial role to play here - as well as in helping to shape the curriculum so that young people enter the world of work with the skills that employers want.

“MPs are ideally placed to help us capitalise on this opportunity by helping to get more employers involved with the education system at a local level so that we produce a talent pipeline that can sustain a thriving UK economy.”

Following the IET’s Parliamentary pledge event in September when MPs signed up to support engineering in their constituencies, the IET is inviting more MPs to show their support by signing up online.