Peterborough recruitment firm Sterling Choice looks to the Armed Forces to help food manufacturers fulfil orders
Former engineers with the military are being sought by a Peterborough firm to help food manufacturers keep operating.
The appeal comes from recruitment agency The Sterling Choice, based in Cygnet Road, in Hampton, which warns that many food firms are struggling to find the engineers they need.
Now company has launched a recruitment drive to tap into what it says is a pool of ex-military talent in the area that can help to meet the shortfall across the region and further afield.
A new survey shows some food industry employers are spending more than £30,0000 a year trying to recruit the right engineers.
It is predicted that in the UK within three years there will be a shortage of 1.8 million engineers and people with technical qualifications.
The situation is being made worse that engineers that have been in the workplace for more than 30 years are nearing retirement age.
Agency director Gareth Whyatt said: “There are a number of ex-military communities in and around the Peterborough, Stamford and Cambridgeshire, and we would really like to hear from any former engineers looking to get back into civvy street.
“While we are aware of the challenges facing the industry, we also know that there is huge potential to fill those gaps with skilled, professional engineers with a disciplined and exceptional work ethic.
“Undoubtedly more needs to be done to bring young people into engineering but it’s not a solution that’s going to be ready any time soon.
To register, visit the firm’s website.
"The skills shortage is a here-and-now problem – but there is a here-and-now solution too, and it’s the perfect fit in our opinion: military engineers in the process of leaving, or who have already left, the forces.”
“Engineering in the food manufacturing industry is a job that traditionally saw individuals come in at entry level, as apprentices or graduates, and then stay with the business for their entire career.