Change in attitudes is necessary to engineer UK’s recovery

From Prof Stephen Caddick.

Sir, James Dyson highlights the importance of investing in the creation of a skilled workforce (“Britain stands on the cusp of a new industrial revolution”, Comment, September 7); but an overemphasis on engineering at the expense of other critical subjects would be a grave mistake. No one can argue with the importance of “stem” subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for economic recovery, but businesses seeking to penetrate international markets also need the expertise of non-stem graduates, for example in languages, culture and human behaviour.

More importantly, we need to take steps to retain the talent that we do produce. Just last year a Home Office report highlighted that more professionals are emigrating to what they see as more attractive countries to live and work. According to the report, 48 per cent of the 149,000 British emigrants last year came from a professional background compared with 37 per cent in 1991.

Expanding the number of graduates our world-class higher education system produces can go some way to supporting a private-sector recovery. But to retain and attract the talent we need, we must offer a world-class working environment coupled with an attractive social and physical infrastructure. In short, somewhere people want to live as well as work.

Stephen Caddick, Vice Provost Enterprise, UCL, London WC1, UK