Plymouth Enginuity is a federation of engineering companies, training providers, business support agencies and schools. The aim of the group is to promote engineering on a two fold basis – as a career to young people in Plymouth and the surrounding areas and also to showcase Plymouth as a centre of engineering excellence to a regional, national and international audience.

To encourage more young people into engineering and ensure it is seen as a valid and appealing option means we also need to convince teachers, parents, friends and careers advisers too. By providing information on the vast range of opportunities offered by the engineering profession, we hope that more young people and their families will understand the role of engineering in society, and begin to appreciate the potential scope of a career in the industry. More information, advice and support is on both the young peoples’ and adults’  pages.

Plymouth has a long history of engineering, with particular connections to maritime engineering, shipbuilding and marine vehicles. A naval engineering college was built here in 1879 which survived until 1994, when training was transferred to Southampton. As our reliance on ships has declined, many people have mistakenly assumed that Plymouth’s engineering sector is also on the wane, whilst in fact the opposite is true. Plymouth has a thriving engineering industry, employing more than 16, 000 people – or nearly 10% of the city’s workforce. Top names like Princess Yachts, Devonport Dockyard’s DML, Bandvulc, Toshiba and BD are able to flourish in the city. In fact, 16 engineering companies in Plymouth came in the top 150 companies in Devon and Cornwall in the 2007 PriceWaterhouseCoopers business survey for the two Counties.

Whilst many of the engineering companies are able to attract highly skilled and knowledgeable personnel, skills gaps still exist and Plymouth Enginuity is committed to bridging the gap between training providers and employers. Brokering and developing training in conjunction with employers means that training providers in Plymouth can adapt and devise new courses to meet employers’ requirements. This proactive approach, supported by Plymouth Enginuity, means that in future, Plymouth will be able to offer some of the best qualified and able engineers in the country.

Plymouth Enginuity is open to any organisation that wants to champion engineering as a career and in Plymouth. For more information about becoming a member see our members’ page .