Policy Update: Building the workforce pipeline for medical physics and clinical engineering
Developments across education, skills and engineering continue to highlight an issue of critical importance to IPEM: how we build a strong and sustainable pipeline into medical physics, clinical engineering and clinical technology.
With growing national concern about the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), alongside continued demand for apprenticeships and higher-level technical skills, there is an important opportunity to connect more young people with skilled careers.
For MPCE, this matters at a time when services are already facing significant workforce pressures and competing with other sectors for scientific, engineering and technical talent.
Apprenticeships and alternative routes into our professions
The Manufacturer reports on continued demand for degree apprenticeships as they increase by 12% at the UK's top universities.
Among the UK's top 100 universities, engineering degree-apprenticeship provision has increased by 12% over the past two years, while provision across health and science has grown by 54%. Overall, there has been a 6% increase in top universities providing degree apprenticeships. These trends demonstrate the continued appetite for higher-level technical routes.
However, changes to Level 7 apprenticeship funding present challenges. UVAC reports that 69% of the UK's top 100 universities will continue to offer Level 7 apprenticeships this autumn despite changes to funding and age eligibility, which could leave employers facing increased training costs.
For MPCE, apprenticeships and alternative entry routes have significant potential to broaden access and increase workforce capacity. We need to ensure NHS organisations can make full use of these routes and that medical physics, clinical engineering and clinical technology are visible within national discussions about technical education and skills.
Tackling the rise in young people not in education, employment or training
The growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training has become a major national policy concern. More than one million young people are now estimated to be NEET, raising important questions about how we prevent young people becoming disengaged and create clearer pathways into education, training and skilled employment.
The Government has commissioned work to understand the barriers young people face and how their employment prospects can be improved.
New general population polling conducted by Ipsos, provides an important insight into young people's perceptions. Among 16–24-year-olds, 48% identified fewer early work opportunities as a reason their generation has fewer opportunities, while 39% pointed to limited access to apprenticeships and entry-level jobs.
When respondents were asked where government should invest to help young people find work, 50% prioritised more apprenticeship opportunities, 45% skills training and education courses and 42% more work-experience opportunities.
These findings have real resonance for IPEM and the MPCE community. At a time when healthcare needs more people with scientific, engineering and technical skills, there is both a challenge and an opportunity to ensure more young people can see and access careers in our professions.
Medical physics, clinical engineering and clinical technology are not always visible to young people when they make decisions about education and careers. Greater careers engagement, meaningful work experience, apprenticeships and clearer entry pathways can all help connect young people with careers that might otherwise remain unknown to them.
We cannot expect young people to choose careers they have never encountered.
This issue is also receiving greater attention across education. OFSTED have launched a joint research project examining how schools, colleges and training providers can prevent 16–18-year-olds from becoming NEET.
The study will look at how young people can be supported to remain engaged in learning, progress into positive destinations and re-engage where they have dropped out, with a final report expected in 2027.
A workforce opportunity for MPCE
The national focus on reducing NEET levels also presents an opportunity to connect more young people with skilled careers.
For MPCE, greater use of work experience, apprenticeships and engagement with schools and colleges could help widen access to our professions. This is particularly important as healthcare competes with other sectors for scientific, engineering and technical talent, as highlighted in our August Policy Update.
Keeping MPCE in the national skills conversation
IPEM will continue to champion sustainable education and training pathways and greater visibility of MPCE careers, ensuring our professions are represented in national discussions about skills and workforce development.
There is an opportunity to address two challenges together: helping more young people access meaningful, skilled careers while building the scientific, engineering and technical workforce that modern healthcare needs.
The future NHS will depend on science, engineering and technology. We need to ensure the next generation knows they can be part of it.