Kristin Baker, Schneider Electric’s Vice President of Industrial & Process Automation UK & Ireland responds to Government Changes to Higher Education Policy
02/10/2025 Schneider Electric UK Ltd
The government’s decision to reintroduce targeted maintenance grants for students from low-income households is a welcome step toward strengthening the UK’s industrial and engineering landscape.
New technologies like robotics, AI, and IoT enhancing operations are resulting in improved safety, quality, and productivity. Yet, according to Make UK, there are currently 55,000 unfilled long-term vacancies in the UK manufacturing sector. To secure Britian’s place as a leading industrial nation, organisations must attract tech-savvy and sustainability-minded people, Gen Z and Gen Alpha included, into its workforce via both graduate schemes and apprenticeship programmes.
The Prime Minister’s new ambition, that two-thirds of young people should go either to university or take on a gold standard apprenticeship aims to change the way we think about education, affording apprenticeships the level of aspiration we believe they have always deserved. At Schneider Electric, we recognise that addressing the skills gap requires more than financial support. That is why we have long invested in skills development for every stage of career professional development, from early engagement through to advanced training. Our UK apprenticeship programmes offer practical, hands-on experience and accredited qualifications that equip individuals with the technical skills required for technical career pathways.
We also work closely with partners such as the Tottenham Hotspur Foundation to fund and provide STEM programmes for primary school pupils. These initiatives are designed to raise awareness of career options, improve diversity, and prepare the workforce of tomorrow to tackle the challenges and opportunities ahead.
Looking ahead to the UK Government’s forthcoming Skills White Paper, we hope to see increased collaboration between government, industry, and education providers to align training with the evolving needs of the economy. In particular, we would welcome measures that support modular and lifelong learning, clearer pathways into technical careers, and greater emphasis on the skills critical to achieving net zero and driving innovation.
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