STEM skills gap, or cliff edge?
The ongoing STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry has at its heart a glaring mismatch in the STEM skills that employers want and those that the current workforce actually has. It is estimated that if this gap is ignored it could end up costing the UK £120 billion by 2030. In 2023 the UK ranked poorly on the OECD’s Skills Mismatch Index: 41.2% of workers are under-qualified for their roles, compared to Spain (38.6%) and Sweden (32.1%). Investment is increasing in the sector, piling pressure on the search for employees.
Addressing the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry is crucial to maintaining national security and technological advancement.
This situation is found across many industries, we’ve been talking about it in the Electronics industry for ten to fifteen years, but the defence and aerospace sector is particularly strained, the ADS points to over 10,000 open STEM job vacancies. Add into the mix large numbers of experienced staff retiring – there is in the region of 40% male and 29% of female workers over the age of 50 – and we are looking at a ticking time bomb.
Moreover, the growing STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry necessitates immediate attention from both educational institutions and employers.
Businesses have staff shortages across the key areas, in engineering 48% of employers report shortages, the figures for cyber & digital are 33% and manufacturing/mechanical roles report 25% shortages. So what are the causes of this?
The root causes of the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry include inadequate training programs and outreach.
Pic Craftsman Stafford, 4 Btn REME, welding the bumper of a military Land Rover UK MOD © Crown copyright 2023
Education – opportunities missed from an early age?
School budgets are being continually eroded and the victims are often practical subjects within STEM framework, woodwork and metalwork have long since bitten the dust as subjects. Without that hands-on experience that so often appeals to practical young mind, pupils just don’t get hooked early enough. Too much of the STEM subjects are left to dry classroom learning of reading about it or studying without real world interaction. The unfortunate fact is that exam results have become a tool to measure the success of schools over the individual, rather than offering a broad church of subjects or even allowing pupils to find their passion or early direction in life.
There is also a gender disparity in STEM, women are woefully underrepresented, something that should be addressed from the earliest stages of education right through to university level.
The picture in higher education is equally strained. Since student fees were introduced in 1998 universities have had to operate as businesses, if STEM subjects cost more to provide (with labs and equipment etc) and they are unsure of filling places, then they would understandably pivot to more cost-effective subjects.
So the kids aren’t hooked through practical hands-on experience of engineering and then there’s a dearth of university places for them if they do want to pursue that path. Apprenticeships should be, if not the answer, then at least a credible and easily accessed route into tech and engineering. In 2024 the UK Government introduced a Policy Paper ‘Defence Industrial Strategy – Statement of Intent’ in it they quote that ‘data from the largest UK defence companies in 2022 shows training of 4,800 apprentices and 1,670 graduate trainees’.
It’s clear that resolving the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry will require a multifaceted approach involving collaboration across sectors.
The paper acknowledges the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry:
“Solving the skills shortage is a whole-economy task, but it is a critical challenge in Defence. At many levels of the workforce – from production to research lab and project management team – defence has suffered from the lack of a national skills strategy. The launch of Skills England will begin to address these challenges, and this will be particularly important given the specific challenges in defence’s workforce, for example the low percentage of women employed in the sector, and its uneven regional spread.”
Government initiatives must prioritize addressing the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry to ensure future resilience.
There is a whole other argument on the governmental approach to STEM and how successive administrations have handled policy decisions over the years. It certainly doesn’t help that educational policy is devolved across the nations with wide variations in direction and delivery. One thing is for sure, a joined up approach that aligns education with industry from an early age with hands-on practical experience is essential. Recognizing the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry is the first step towards crafting effective solutions.
Problems finding graduates and apprentices
The Times recently reported that around 20 defence firms have pulled out of university careers fairs over safety concerns “for fear of intimidation and harassment” by arms trade protestors. This is another limiting factor in STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry, unhindered access to young talent. The UK defence secretary John Healey has asked universities to ensure the safety of defence companies attending those careers fairs, he said at an industry event “This is wrong. This attitude takes for granted the privileged position we enjoy in Britain — to live in freedom and security . . . security our defence industry guarantees.”
The ongoing protests highlight the urgent need to tackle the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry for a secure future.
UK aerospace and defence employs 164,000 people with an average salary 14% higher than the national average at £39,900. Yet the sector has stiff competition from private tech and infrastructure sectors who consistently offer packages that are higher still. If we are to solve the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry it needs to be more visible to potential recruits and have the right career and income development opportunities.
Strengthening the visibility of careers in the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry is essential to attract young talent.
Issues with the existing workforce
The defence and aerospace sector is facing a serious challenge as its workforce ages and critical skills and expertise begin to fade. Many of the engineers, technicians, and specialists who cut their teeth on projects such as the Eurofighter Typhoon are now approaching retirement, taking with them decades of knowledge that is not easily replaced. This problem is illustrated in production slowdowns, most notably the recent halt in Typhoon assembly, which means younger recruits are not getting the hands-on experience needed to absorb complex skills. Aerospace and defence manufacturing relies on deep, practical expertise in areas such as precision engineering, systems integration, and materials science, much of which cannot be learned in a classroom alone.
This potentially is affecting R&D, in real terms defence R&D spending has dropped by 12% since 2015.
What are the solutions to this skills gap?
John Healey, the Defence Secretary, gave a speech at the Defence Investment Summit on 10 September 2025 in which he acknowledged;
creating jobs means nothing unless we got the people, the skilled people, the people with a sense of pride and purpose to fill those vacancies. So £182 billion new money behind the Defence Skills Strategy. This is a core part of the industrial plan that we published on Monday. This is the biggest investment in defence skills plan for decades.
Ultimately, addressing the STEM skills shortage in the UK defence industry will benefit the entire economy and society. The skills deficit has too often held back workers and businesses alike, the aerospace and defence industries are a powerful engine for growth.
A programme of large-scale industry-led training is needed, BAE Systems, as an example has invested £90 million in STEM programs, trained 3,000 apprentices, and visited 450+ schools to grow the skills pipeline. The government plans to ease apprenticeship qualification requirements and revise procurement to better include small firms, they have also launched an innovation hub to work with defence firms to speed up the delivery of military tech.
Education is the toughest challenge, policy changes take a long time to work. STEM subjects needs to be available from the youngest ages, fostering an enjoyment of practical skills in young peoples minds that will persist through their educational journey and on into employment.
