Following Prime Minster Andy Burnham’s announcement of plans to offer technical education pathways to students from the age of 14, Joe Lyon, CEO of Facilities Management Company, Thermatic, has given a positive reaction…
“It’s music to our ears that technical education is going to be placed at the heart of the curriculum. We are facing an acute skills shortage across our sector. We have an ageing workforce that’s gearing up to exit the industry and a lack of young engineers to fill their places.
“The only way to reverse that pattern is to think differently. We must show young people that technical skills are not only valued, they also provide the basis for a long, varied and successful career.
“Bringing AI into that mix also hugely benefits sectors such as ours. It is not a threat to facilities management; it provides an opportunity to take a different approach and embrace innovation.
“Giving young people the chance to learn about its potential and bring that into the workplace, particularly across industries that have long been seen as more traditional in their approach, is exciting and means we will be moving closer to solving some long-standing problems.”
