UK’s driverless car industry could be in danger before it even begins because of major engineer shortage
As Britain attempts to lead the charge in the autonomous vehicle race, a massive worker shortage could threaten the entire industry
BRITAIN'S desire to become a leading player in the development of autonomous car technology could be hindered by a lack of skilled talent.
It is currently anticipated that by 2025, the driverless vehicle sector will have a global industry demand of well over one million employees, however the actual number of skilled workers won't even total half of that number.
AutoCar reported that a labour deficiency in the automotive industry could see just 417,000 autonomous car specialists attempt to complete the work of a required 1,159,000 engineers within the next 10 years.
, each driverless car engineer is worth approximately £10 million to a company, due to their high demand, and the increasing value being placed on the autonomous sector.
In the 2016 Autumn Budget Statement, the government stated its intent to establish the UK as a centre for excellence in autonomous vehicles
However, for the UK to make the most of its chance of leading this global sector they must change the transport industry's target audience when it comes to selecting skilled workers, a report by Catapult Transport Systems said.
The report suggested that Britain's motoring industry must shift its focus from traditional STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) educated workers to those more digitally skilled.
It also suggested the development of apprenticeship schemes to create a sustainable base for the autonomous car workforce.
Just last week, UK tech group OXBOTICA claimed they would be introducing a fleet of fully-operational driverless cars onto British roads by 2019.