25th September 2017
Dear Parent/Carer,
Being able to advise your child through major educational milestones is an important part of your child’s development. As a parent/carer you wish to help your child make the right decisions for their potential career choices; therefore it is important you have to hand the correct, up to date, information on the local labour market so you are aware where the vacancies are likely to arise within sector of the economy, and to be able to match your child’s skill set with the vacancies available. Over the next few years there will be a number of factors that will influence the labour market, the predominant one being Brexit and increasing difficultly to recruit from EU countries.
Careers within the NHS are always a popular choice by pupils at Lampton, this will continue to be an area where there is high a demand for skilled professionals, especially in light of the aging population. Within the NHS there is forecast to be a chronic shortage of nurses and doctors, due to Brexit it will become increasingly difficult to for employers to recruit from EU countries.
One of the biggest challenges of Brexit comes in the construction industry. Due to continuing growth there is likely to be strong demand for skilled professionals within all trades of construction sector, however, as it may become more difficult to recruit from overseas after Brexit supply will have to be sort within the UK. This is likely to have a positive effect on wages within the sector, and those professions which require graduate entry: surveyor and architect.
The UK is also experiencing a shortfall of 40,000 engineers and scientists, with Brexit looming these shortages could become more acute. A good degree is likely to secure quality employment in these fields.
If your child wishes to remain within the local area the main growth areas within Hounslow Borough are: Transport and logistics; IT and digital Media; Media and Broadcasting; Business Support; and Tourism. According to a recent survey amongst employers Hounslow has a skills shortage or skills gaps in the following areas: IT and digital Media; Media and Broadcasting; Creative industries; and Tourism.
All of these sectors have seen strong growth in recent years, and will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. IT and Digital Media has seen growth of 84% in employment rates in the last 5 years. With the proposed expansion of Heathrow comes additional opportunities for employment in Transport and Logistics, which has seen growth rates of over 30% recently; the same can be said in the construction industry.
Many parents strive for their child to gain a place at a prestigious University, and for most careers this would seem logical. Within the UK around 129,000 recruits are needed each year in the IT sector, this figure is expected to double by 2020. Conversely, however, there are high rates of unemployment amongst graduates with degrees in computer science as employers are looking for “real work” experience. If your child is interested in a career in IT, you may wish to consider researching into the possibility of a post 18 Apprenticeships.
I do hope you have found this useful, if you require any further information on the current employment market to advise your child further please don’t hesitate to contact me at .
Yours faithfully
Mr Hind
Head of PSHE and Careers