Abstract
This report looks into what the future may look like for the manufacturing sector as well as engineering in Wales. The future looks potentially very good, with many predictions of growth in the manufacturing sector, with a possible £27 billion more each year from 2022, for the UK in general, drawing more companies in and creating many more jobs in the process. However, the main obstacle is an engineering skills gap, with many more engineers required to fill the vacancies and replace the aging workforce, than Wales is currently producing. There are a number of programs to try and increase the number of children studying STEM subjects and funding to create more engineering apprenticeships. While the 2022 target is within reach a lot more work is needed to produce the required number of engineers to make the growth possible.
Introduction
The manufacturing industry is comprised of businesses that manufacture and process products from raw materials or commodities. It includes a vast range of sectors such as food, chemicals, automotive, computer equipment and electronics. In most developed countries manufacturing takes up a significant part of the economy.
This report will look at the current situation of the manufacturing sector as well as engineering in Wales, and look into what the future may be like, as well as what is being done to achieve it.
Manufacturing and Engineering Today
Wales has always relied very heavily on the manufacturing sector,
Mankind’s interrelation with manufacturing systems has a long history. Nowadays we see manufacturing systems and their applications as systems in which goods are produced and delivered to the suitable places where we can obtain them. We are conscious of the fact that everything we consume or obtain is produced at some facilities. We are also aware of the fact that many components involve at these processes such as laborers, capital, and machines. Nevertheless, majority of people might not realize how these processes have developed all along this time and changed our daily lives surprisingly. Manufacturing, as a crucial part of the industry, has always had overwhelming impacts on our life habits, societal
Industry is the generation of goods and services inside of an economy. The term industry and different industries were introduced during or after the Industrial Revolution. According to Montagna, the period known as the Industrial
One of the key drivers of many first world economies would be manufacturing; the United States is no different. Over the years, billions upon billions of dollars have been pumped into the manufacturing process in order to improve the associated technologies and bring down costs. There are numerous established manufacturers in the country today; you can view their products in convenience stores, supermarkets and pretty much every other place of business.
I seem to have always had an underlying passion for infrastructure. That is a fact which I only came to fully comprehend during the summer. The Python Bridge, with its red snake-like abnormal shape, and Magere Brug, with its iconic drawbridge properties, are both picturesque examples of engineering done “right”. Perhaps it is that realisation of modern life being wholly dependent on engineering, which is everywhere and is always changing; perhaps it is the pressures of the ever increasing population and global warming; or perhaps it is the idea of helping to change the world around me to meet the demands of the future generations. That has driven me to hope for a challenging career which I will find personally gratifying and feel that I have given something back to the community.
A highly motivated and hardworking individual, who has recently completed their A-Levels, achieving excellent grades in both Maths and Science. Seeking an apprenticeship in the engineering industry to build upon a keen scientific interest and start a career as a maintenance engineer. Eventual career goal is to become a fully-qualified and experienced maintenance or electrical engineer, with the longer-term aspiration of moving into project management.
Whether it’s a recent graduate level, an engineer or the senior management, I have always seen everyone working hard, collaborating, sharing ideas, innovating and understanding and respecting others – all UNITED – to produce and deliver great engineering projects.
“Who thinks they might be interested in engineering as a career?” I asked my class of sixth graders. “UGH. NO,” replied tall blonde Emily. She continued, “Wait. What is that?”
For my Senior Project, I wanted to explore careers fields I was interested in, specifically Astronautics, Engineering and Psychology. Discovery is what piques my interest, by far, and these fields show much promise. I was taken under the wing of a sound technician and helped him set up several concerts and shows at local theaters while studying the technical side of the process. I also spent time touring HP to understand what a mechanical engineer in a technology company does on a regular basis and how. Because of my interest in Engineering, I have taken some classes like Pre-Calculus, Manufacturing Technology, and Physics, to list a few.
Manufacturing is where items In bulk are made like cars there are made in a assembly line where each car part is set to different groups of people then when the car comes down the line they place there part on while the car is still moving and then continue with the other cars then at the end of the line they are checked over to see if every thing is fitted properly and then shipped of to the seller then once it has arrived to the customer by the transport there will be documents that are handed to the customer that tells him about the car.
This world is getting more advance every single day. We are always one day closer to the next breakthrough in technology. However, the great minds that design, develop, test, and produce these next steps in technology are not enough to fit the growing need of higher level technology. The lack of engineers will catch up and force most industries in America to leave and look into foreign land to meet their demand of engineers. This will lead to a decrease in our GDP and an increase in unemployment rate all across the country. Efforts are being made to improve our engineering population, and increase their motivation to improve technology and go excel in their fields.
Economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of goods in factories.
The United Kingdom provides training for workers to improve their skills enabling them to expand into the labour market. Buckley et al (2007) illustrate training as a ‘planned and systematic effort to modify… skills through learning… to achieve effective performance’. It is explained as ‘improving technical capabilities of workers and embedding them further into occupational community’ (Green et al, 2012). Gold et al (2010) further elucidates this by adding that training is ‘essentially skill orientated.’ The UK government have put forth new strategies aimed at developing the UK’s workforce proficiency (Stevens, 2013) for instance traineeship, apprenticeship, pre-job training and further education made vastly available for all. This essay
Industry definition: "Companies in this industry manufacture cars and automobile chassis. These operations, which are referred to as automakers, typically produce cars, including electric cars, in assembly plants. The manufacture of light trucks (e.g. vans, pickups and SUVs), heavy trucks and motorcycles is excluded from this industry." [2]
This workshop proposal submitted by Texas A&M University “Convergence HTF: From Making to Micro-Manufacture: Reimagining Work Beyond Mass Production” with the objective of discussing the future of manufacturing work by convening a reimagination of the relationship of multiple fields of inquiry from Computer Science, Human-Computer Interaction, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, Economics, the Social Sciences, Industrial Engineering and Education. A two-stage strategy is proposed to establish the agenda for the workshop. First participants will engage in an online discussion over 2-3 months. This discussion will yield a more refined program of discussion and a selection of a broader team of participants for the face-to-face workshop.