Sector profile
Profile: Advanced manufacturing & engineering
Alignment to strategic priorities:
| National | Hampshire CC | Surrey CC | Coast to Capital | Enterprise M3 |
| 59,669 | -14.7% | 5,748 | £43.5k |
| Jobs (2019) 21% above National average | % Change (2019 – 2022) Nation: -5.5% | businesses (2021) 78% have 1-4 employees | Average wages per job: LSIP = £31.0k | South East = £30.5k | Nation = £30.4k |
Source: Lightcast
| TOP ONLINE POSTED OCCUPATIONS: | TOP SPECIALISED SKILLS: |
| 1. Civil engineers 2. Engineering technicians 3. Mechanical engineers 4. Engineering professionals n.e.c. 5. Electrical engineers | 1. Mechanical engineering 2. Machinery 3. Auditing 4. Engineering design process 5. Electrical engineering |
| TOP SOFT SKILLS: | JOB POSTINGS REGIONAL BREAKDOWN: |
| 1. Communications 2. Management 3. Customer service 4. Planning 5. Detail oriented | 1. Basingstoke and Deane 2. Guildford 3. Rushmoor 4. Test Valley 5. Woking |
Data are for January 2019 – December 2022 | Source: Lightcast
Additional insights and intelligence
With a high concentration of businesses in for example the Precision Technology cluster1 , this sector makes a strong contribution to the area’s productivity through large numbers of high value jobs such as Production managers and directors in manufacturing and Design and development engineers. Although average wages are high, there is evidence of a decline in the number of jobs in a sector with predominantly (78%) micro businesses with less than five employees.
The Government’s Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy2 highlights Manufacturing as a key industry in working towards net zero. This activity will require skills and innovation – both of which the LSIP area can support. In 2022, Manufacturing accounted for about 46,000 jobs – roughly 5% of employment in the LSIP area. Most of these jobs were in Test Valley, Basingstoke & Deane, and East Hampshire.
There is strong alignment between this sector and the green growth sectors of Industrial Decarbonisation and Power identified in the Green Skills demand report3 . Manufacturing and engineering roles occupy eight of the top 50 green occupations, both currently and projecting forward to 2030, with the top jobs being civil engineers, production managers/directors manufacturing, electrical and mechanical engineers4. It is critical to ensure there is sufficient green content in engineering courses run by local providers, or for new courses or modules to be found.
In the LSIP employer survey5 , respondents cited gaps in particular engineering job roles including: Aviation, Electrical, Mechanical, Service and Software Engineers; Fitters and Welders. Machine skills were also cited as a particular skill in demand. Other feedback includes challenges of finding candidates with the right technical skills and / or basic understanding of key engineering skills and machinery at a time when the workforce is getting older, retiring and therefore, there is a ‘brain drain’ concern.
In terms of local provision, in 2021-22, there were 1,357 achievements (7.2% of all achievements) in Engineering and manufacturing technologies sector subject area – mostly at level 3. Apprenticeship starts in this subject area accounted for less than 10%; a lot lower than the national proportion6.
CASE STUDY
An engineering business, shaped around solving problems for energy, defence and science, Sonardyne7, based in Yateley in Hampshire have been working closely with HSDC since 2011 as part of their talent strategy. The business funded the high-spec Sonardyne Engineering Centre at the Alton campus and each year, students compete for work placement and apprenticeship opportunities to kick off their careers in offshore energy, maritime defence and ocean science.
1. “Skills and Labour Market Analysis”, (2020), p. 13
2. “Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy, March 2021”, UK Government,
3. “Annex A.2: Green skills demand report”, p. 4
