Record number of UK job vacancies underlines need to plug skills gap

by Eric Brownlie, Assistant Principal: Quality and Performance

The BBC reported this week that there are over 1 million vacancies in the UK, the highest number since records began.

Industries across the economy have been impacted by a number of factors including the coronavirus pandemic, and Brexit-related policy changes.

The British Chamber of Commerce has said firms are facing an ‘acute hiring crisis’, and data from the Office for National Statistics has shown that there were in excess of 300,000 job vacancies in the health, social work and hospitality sectors collectively over the past three months.

The manufacturing, education, construction, and arts sectors have also seen a total of around 200,000 vacancies since June.

A senior economist at KPMG said vacancies were taking time to fill due to ‘skills shortages and reduced availability of overseas workers’.

This is clearly an issue that can’t be solved overnight, but we can see that skills gaps exist across the board, and it’s vital that we make inroads into upskilling the current and future workforce. Consequently, there has never been a better time to retrain or gain skills for a new role.

Glasgow Clyde College offers an extensive range of full-time and part-time courses, which cater for careers in health and social care, engineering, business and finance, computing, teaching, hospitality, and the creative industries.

Not only are students able to access first-class teaching, we also have excellent industry links that allow for work placements, networking events, and, ultimately, employment opportunities.

For those who are currently in employment but looking to upskill, the college also offers a number of flexible online courses and night classes. These include health & social care, computing, and electronics.

We can see from the recent data that there are large skills gaps that need to be plugged as the economy gets back up to full steam. The further education sector has a significant role to play in this, and, thankfully, there are a number of different options available. 

Whether it’s an online training course taken alongside an existing job, a part-time upskill course, or a night class - there is a pathway to cater for everyone.

Find out more about the courses available www.glasgowclyde.ac.uk/study