Aircraft engineers and immigration

[hoodyski]

In the news today:

"Mr Brown also announced plans for a reduction of thousands in the number of posts on the Government's shortage occupation list, for which foreign workers can gain access to the UK because of a lack of local people with the skills to do the jobs. Hospital consultants, civil engineers, aircraft engineers and ship's officers are being removed from the list of in-demand occupations which Britain needs to recruit from abroad."

What does this actually mean? Are the jobs of currently employed immigrant engineers at risk? Will they be able to move jobs in this country in the future? How will other nations react to this?

[bvcu]

Plenty of people looking for work so why bring in people from outside ? Unless its to undercut on pay etc ?

[DERG]

My guess is that the UK can fill these posts with people from the EU member states.

[NFF PLS RTFM]

Just seems like a logical step. At present it is easier for employers to obtain work visas if the occupation is on the skills shortage list. This was because of a skills shortage in the areas listed. With the recent down turn their is no enough people with the EU to fill the available roles. Therefore in the future it will be more difficult (though not impossible) to fill the roles from outside the EU.

[Ninjated]

Maybe Mr Brown and his wonderful party should have been looking at this 10 years ago, instead of seeing how much they could personaly rip the country and taxpayers off for! Bit late when we are swamped already and need to be able to speak Polish to comunicate with half our staff. Why are so many British guys out of work that could do these jobs anyway and schoolleavers who have a really hard time getting into the industry. Even so, I would much prefer to be dealing with Commonwealth guys than eastern europeans but since we are in the wonderful EU we now have to block people with hereditry ties to the UK in favour of the ex communist states. Will the last one out please turn off the lights!:ugh::ugh:

[spannersatcx]

And why is there a skills shortage that is the real question?

[DERG]

They got rid of free grammar and grammar-tech schools in the UK back around 1965. End of an era. Where in the EU is Rolls Royce going to build the next generation of gas turbines?
:\

[Alber Ratman]

Because British companies binned apprentiships and only now have realised the error of that thinking. However they still love employing anybody they can get cheaply, especially the flops..

[satos]

NFF PLS RTFM Just seems like a logical step. At present it is easier for employers to obtain work visas if the occupation is on the skills shortage list. This was because of a skills shortage in the areas listed. With the recent down turn their is no enough people with the EU to fill the available roles. Therefore in the future it will be more difficult (though not impossible) to fill the roles from outside the EU.
I am in Australia and the same is happening here.
The people they are bringing in are supposed to be trade qualified but some cannot even read basic micrometers/verniers,lack of understanding of A.T.A chapters,AMM,
Service Bulletins etc.
Some of their trade knowledge/skills is even lower than a 1st year apprentice.

[Bite-Test-Satis]

It maybe too late for many UK LAEs, even if stopped now or reversed (which seems unlikely). Many will have to work aboard as there are no UK jobs, some will have their pay rates depressed or even leave the industry altogether. Afew years ago the IT industry had a shortage of labour and pay rates went sky high. Those with the skills profited & it bought new people into the industry - everyone gained - this never happened with LAEs & now we known why! In no small part thanks to the labour party & the airline companies.

[TURIN]

Not sure why Labour are getting it in the neck over skills shortages.

Surely it was in the mid eighties when apprentiships started to die out. There was 18 years of Conservative government don't forget.

As for Grammar schools.
Not all they were cracked up to be (I should know:O).
A bad school is a bad school no matter it a Comp or a Grammar.

They were still around in the mid seventies too.

[Dodo56]

Well said TURIN. I remember it well, having started at RR in 1978 just before Thatcher came to power. The start of her strategy to bust the power of the unions (which admittedly was excessive) was to create a pool of unemployed so that the unions knew their members were no longer irreplaceable. Government grants for apprenticeships stopped so most apprenticeships likewise dried up, and the media (orchestrated?) started talking about the "skills gap" = couldn't get a job without experience, couldn't get experience without a job. Youth Opportunities and subsequently YTS bred a nation of tea boys. You want a party to blame for the lack of good people coming up in engineering, guess what, it's not Labour.

Hoodyski I don't think people from outside the EU, who are working here now, have anything to fear (at least until your visa expires) as the change of rules will apply to new applicants only. As stated this only indicates the govt feel the industry's requirement can be satisfied from within the EU.