Baroness Hunter of Auchenreoch (Lab)

My Lords, I am delighted to follow the excellent maiden speeches of an old friend, the noble Lord, Lord Blackwater, and my noble friend Lord Hobby. I remember when Teach First was established during Tony Blair’s premiership. It is a brilliant organisation—my step- daughter is an alumna—and my noble friend took it to great heights. I look forward to the Government’s response to the Timms and Milburn reviews, and the aim of supporting both young and disabled people to flourish in work as the basis of their long-term economic security. That will require further reform of the welfare system. I welcome the Education Bill, targeting support for those at risk of joining the growing number of NEETs, as mentioned by my noble friend Lord Kestenbaum and the noble Lord, Lord Willetts. This is a particular concern of mine, as is the pipeline being built, inspirationally and educationally, for the workforce of the future, alluded to by other noble Lords. The Engineers 2030 report from the Royal Academy of Engineering—I declare my interest as a former director—is a wake-up call to the perilous skills gap we face. There is demand for engineering skills in clean energy, defence and housebuilding, as well as skills in the emerging digital technologies such as AI, software development and cyber security. These sectors will experience the highest growth in employment, by a factor of six to one, with entirely new roles emerging all the time. Some 76% of employers are struggling to recruit personnel with the required skills now. Improving the take-up from underrepresented groups is vital. Women make up 17% of the engineering workforce, minority ethnic groups 14%, and disabled people and people with special needs also 14%; and all have higher attrition rates. At age 10, only 11% of girls say that being an engineer would fit well with who they are, compared with 44% of boys. The Royal Academy of Engineering’s recent submission to the Women in Tech Taskforce praises the Government for upskilling 10 million people in AI and the new AI apprenticeships, but recommends urgent systemic reform of the entry barriers, starting with an updated and dynamic curriculum and advice for young people. Present arrangements are uneven, not tailored to underrepresented groups, and not prioritised. I know that the Government are working hard to meet our future employment challenges, but I urge a greater emphasis on careers advice in the early years that captivates and inspires. I end by welcoming the prescient Bills to strengthen our energy security and national security. I urge the Minister to read the report published today, again by the Royal Academy of Engineering, regarding the digitalisation of the grid, which will enable the Government to go further and faster to deliver clean energy. I sit on the National Resilience Committee, which has been a tremendous education, both reassuring and alarming, in the nation’s preparedness for the myriad threats we face. The committee has heard repeated warnings of the interconnected nature of these risks. Energy security is a resilience issue, not just about supply but about the systems that depend on it: transport, communications, finance, health, food, water, and local emergency response. We have also heard evidence relating to the rapidly increasing number and AI-engendered sophistication of cyber threats. Some 43% of UK businesses have suffered some form of cyber attack, most notably JLR last year. Imagine a concerted assault on our energy installations. I hope that the Minister will take into account our recommendations in due course.