Demand for engineering and technical skills is high, and the gap is real. In 2025 there were 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in UK manufacturing, costing the economy £6bn in lost output every year, according to Make UK's Industrial Strategy Skills Commission Report 2025. That is a lot of work waiting for the right people.
The pressure is not slowing. In the three months to October 2025, the largest volume increase in vacancies was in the professional, scientific and technical activities sector, which rose by 5,000, ONS vacancy figures for November 2025 show. Automation sits right in the middle of that demand, and integrators feel it first.
There is a reason so many firms are looking down the experience ladder. Make UK reports that six in ten (59%) manufacturers cite automation, and half (50%) cite wider digitalisation, as trends changing jobs and skills needs, with 74% expecting demand for cognitive skills to rise by 2030, per Make UK's 2030 Skills report. The roles are changing faster than the pool of ready-made experts can grow.
Because the experienced talent simply is not there in the numbers needed, and growing your own is now a proven route. Apprenticeships have risen from 3% of AI hires in 2020 to 19% in 2025, according to DSIT's AI Labour Market Survey 2025. Employers are learning that training raw talent builds loyalty and shapes skills to their exact systems.
There is also a timing opportunity. UK entry-level job postings have dropped 30% since ChatGPT's launch, with graduates facing the toughest market since 2018, techUK reports using Adzuna data. In tech specifically, graduate jobs were cut by 46% in a year with a further 53% drop projected, according to The Register, citing the Institute of Student Employers. That means capable, hungry early-career people are available now, and integrators who move quickly can secure them.
Trainee automation engineers support the design, build, testing and commissioning of control systems. Early on that means shadowing senior engineers, wiring and testing panels, writing simple PLC logic, and documenting systems. Within a year or two, many take ownership of small projects end to end. The role blends hands-on engineering with the cognitive and problem-solving skills employers increasingly value.
Start by hiring for aptitude, not a finished CV. IT business analysts, architects and systems designers are among the occupations in critical demand in 2025, per the Occupations in Demand 2025 statistics, so the competition for technical minds is fierce. Look for curiosity, a logical mind and evidence someone learns fast, then build the technical depth in-house.
Speed matters most when the wider market is tight. The UK jobs market is closely tracked in the KPMG and REC UK Report on Jobs, and a slow hiring process is where good candidates slip away. A clear, quick and human process is your biggest advantage.
We match you with early-career engineering talent from a database of 15 million people, then manage the process end to end so you can keep building. Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. Tell us the role today and see your shortlist.
