A new survey has revealed increasing optimism in the engineering sector with project professionals anticipating project growth, higher budgets and a further investment in skills.
Over half (54%) of project professionals working in the engineering industry expect to increase the number of projects they are working on over the next five years, highlighting a strong sense of optimism despite the wider economic uncertainty.
Alongside project growth, the survey also found 57% of project professionals in the engineering sector are confident the budget allocated to projects will increase over the same period, signalling an expectation of continued investment in the industry.
The findings were revealed in the latest survey of 1,000 project professionals, conducted by the Association for Project Management (APM), the chartered membership organisation for the project profession, in partnership with Censuswide.
The confidence in project growth shows 63% in automotive engineering, 61% in transport and 54% in engineering.
This optimism is underpinned by widespread recognition of the strategic value of upskilling and development in the project profession. An overwhelming 92% of respondents in the Engineering sector said their current employer places value on training, developing and upskilling employees.
When asked which skills are the most important for successful project delivery, team management, stakeholder engagement, supply chain management, and communication and interpersonal skills ranked highest amongst respondents at 16% each.
“It’s encouraging to see employers prioritising skills and professional development. People are the profession’s most valuable asset and ongoing investment in training and upskilling is vital to achieving long-term project success. The future of the profession depends on equipping individuals with the right skills and knowledge to thrive in increasingly demanding environments,” said Robin Carter-Evans, Education Outreach Manager at the Association for Project Management.
APM is working closely with schools across the country, speaking with children and providing toolboxes and resources to integrate into their STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) learning, as well as linking together the profession and students through facilitating work experience placements in the industry at secondary and university level.
“Many of these skills start to develop at primary school when children are working together. When does this need to be done by? Who needs to be involved? What do we do if something isn’t working? These are all the building blocks of project management. That’s why we’ve been engaging closely with schools across the country to help children explore these topics,” added Carter-Evans. “Whist positive progress has been made in tackling the skills shortage and making the apprenticeship system more accessible, there is still more to do. That’s why it’s so important to encourage more people to think about the opportunities in the project profession from an early age.”
