ATA Recruitment

​Skills Based Hiring is Closing Engineering Skills Gaps

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The UK's engineering skills shortage continues to challenge manufacturers, with businesses competing for an increasingly limited pool of skilled Maintenance Engineers. As vacancies remain difficult to fill, employers are beginning to rethink one of the biggest barriers to successful recruitment, the requirement for previous industry experience.

At ATA Recruitment, we're seeing this shift first hand.

Our latest placement data from the first half of 2026 reveals that 82% of Maintenance Engineers we placed had no previous experience in the specific industry of the company they joined.

Instead, they were hired because they possessed the right technical skills, Engineering mindset and attitude to succeed.

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Engineering Skills Matter More Than Industry Experience

The UK's manufacturing sector is facing a long term skills challenge. According to Make UK, 99% of manufacturers believe access to skills will shape their future growth, while 50% say skills shortages are currently their biggest barrier to growth.

Against this backdrop, employers can no longer afford to limit recruitment to candidates who have only worked within their own industry.

Our own data supports this changing mindset. During the first half of 2026, more than four in five maintenance Engineers placed by ATA Recruitment successfully moved into an industry they had never previously worked in.

Whether moving from automotive into food manufacturing, from aerospace into construction materials or from FMCG into automated warehousing, these Engineers already possessed the technical foundations employers needed.

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Transferable Engineering Skills Are Driving Better Hiring

While every manufacturing environment has its own processes and equipment, the core principles of maintenance engineering remain remarkably consistent.

Electrical fault finding, mechanical maintenance, PLC diagnostics, preventative maintenance, root cause analysis and continuous improvement are all highly transferable skills.

Experienced Engineers also bring problem solving ability, safety awareness and an understanding of how to keep production running efficiently, regardless of the sector.

By focusing on these capabilities rather than industry background alone, employers can access a much wider talent pool without compromising on quality.

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Looking Beyond Your Sector Makes Good Business Sense

Broadening recruitment criteria offers several advantages for employers.

• Access to a significantly larger talent pool.

• Reduced time to hire.

• Greater workforce diversity and fresh thinking.

• Engineers with experience of different technologies and maintenance strategies.

• Stronger long term resilience in an increasingly competitive recruitment market.

This approach is becoming even more important as businesses invest in automation and digital manufacturing.

According to Make UK, more than half of manufacturers say skills shortages are preventing them from fully adopting AI and other new technologies, highlighting that finding capable Engineers has become just as important as finding candidates with direct sector experience.

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Engineers Are More Open Than Ever to Switching Industries

The change isn't being driven solely by employers.

Maintenance Engineers are becoming increasingly confident about moving between industries, recognising that their technical expertise is valuable across multiple manufacturing sectors.

Many Engineers are seeking opportunities that offer better work life balance, career progression, exposure to new technologies or improved earning potential rather than remaining within the same industry throughout their career.

This growing willingness to move is creating opportunities for employers prepared to assess candidates on their skills and potential instead of their previous sector.

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The Future of Engineering Recruitment

The latest Skills England Advanced Manufacturing Skills Assessment 2026 also highlights the need for a more flexible, employer led approach to tackling workforce shortages across UK manufacturing.

Recruitment is a key part of that solution.

By assessing technical competence, attitude and potential rather than focusing solely on industry experience, employers can build stronger engineering teams while opening doors for talented candidates whose skills may otherwise be overlooked.

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Bridging the Engineering Skills Gap

At ATA Recruitment, our mission has always been to Bridge the Skills Gap.

Our H1 2026 placement data demonstrates that successful Engineering recruitment isn't about finding someone who has worked in exactly the same environment before. It's about recognising transferable skills and matching talented Engineers with businesses where they can thrive.

With 82% of our maintenance placements coming from outside the client's industry, the evidence is clear.

Great maintenance Engineers don't have to come from your sector to make an immediate impact.

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Looking for Maintenance Engineers?

With more than 60 years of engineering recruitment experience, a specialist network of over 60,000 Engineers and dedicated consultants who understand the maintenance market, ATA Recruitment helps manufacturers identify skilled Engineers from across the UK's engineering landscape.

If you're struggling to recruit within your own industry, widening your search could be the key to securing your next great hire.