Leading business organisation, the Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) is calling on MPs to investigate skills shortages and the conduct of recruitment agencies in the construction industry.

A new select committee has recently been formed to oversee the work of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). To aid with the development of their future work programme, ACE has provided committee members with its recently published report, 'Skills Shortages and Recruitment Agency Behaviours'. This report highlights the shortfall of high-calibre graduates joining the consultancy and engineering sector and predicts that skills shortages will worsen if action is not taken.

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The report also looks at the range of recruitment challenges facing the sector, criticises the unethical behaviour of recruitment consultants - which ACE believes is having a detrimental effect on firms’ ability to fill vacancies - and also outlines a series of initial recommendations to address the issues raised.

ACE chairman, Michael Whitwell, said: "UK businesses need immediate help if we are to avert a future skills crisis. This is fundamentally about education, about the numbers of suitably qualified graduates being produced by our universities, and at present there simply aren’t enough coming through the system."

Mr Whitwell continued: "We must align the work of universities with the needs of UK businesses. Many graduates are coming out of university and we are unable to find work, and yet there are 20,000 vacancies in the consultancy and engineering sector. We must find a way to direct our human resources to where they are most needed. Only government and parliament can lead on this. I hope that our report proves a useful tool for achieving this."

On unethical recruitment behaviour, Mr Whitwell outlined a simple solution: "If the pool of engineers was larger, we would see an end to the aggressive recruitment practices that are damaging our industry," he said.

(JM)