As top scientists and engineers from around the country gather in Solihull this month at the Future Powertrain Conference 2016, engineering recruitment specialist Jonathan Lee Recruitment says UK businesses must forward plan their project teams if they want to achieve success in this dynamic sector.
The two day UK conference, at the National Motorcycle Museum, 24th and 25th February, will bring together industry and academic experts within the powertrain research and development to debate the solutions to the challenges faced by the engineering industry in the UK and internationally over the next ten years.
Predicting that 2016 will be the year of the powertrain engineer, Kevin Harris, lead consultant at Jonathan Lee Recruitment for the automotive sector explains: We have been recruiting into the automotive sector for more than 35 years and requirement for powertrain engineers is at an all-time high. We are currently seeing increasing demand for both gasoline and diesel engineers covering specialisms such as emissions, after treatment systems, acoustics, simulation, power, performance and fuel economy.
The reality is that the traditional skill sets of development and calibration engineers are becoming less relevant because of emergence of new technologies on the engines of today and tomorrow.
Advances in engine technology, combined with the changeable appetite for diesels and increasing focus on accurate real-world driving emission tests, means that it is more important than ever for engine research and development companies to get it right. However, the lack of long-term planning means many businesses in the UK risk losing out, simply by not having the right people in place.
The diversity of roles makes it vitally important that companies dont rely on standard job specs and traditional approaches, while the shortage of candidates also demands that companies have to be far more pro-active in their search for the right people. They cant sit back and wait for candidates to come to them.
Jonathan Lee Recruitment is sponsoring the Future Powertrain Conference for the third year running. It has been working with global vehicle manufacturers, 1st and 2nd tier suppliers and SME, R&D centres, design consultancies, test facilities, automotive supply chain and aftermarket businesses for more than three decades.