- MD of steel fabricators issues an urgent call to support the future of the welding industry
- There will be a shortage of more than 35,000 skilled welders by 2027
- Apprenticeship costs have increased 66%, trainee numbers are down and businesses are turning to international recruitment to fill the void.
- Attracting the next generation is existential to the UK’s ability to make things and to defend itself, requiring coordinated action from industry, education and government
The UK is facing a crisis in its welding workforce and the numbers are alarming. WorldSkills UK estimates a shortage of more than 35,000 skilled professionals. The UK’s 2025 industrial strategy green paper specifically states “The UK has a lack of technical skills - such as in electrical, mechanical, and welding trades”
Credit: Tadweld
So how does an entire industry change its image and its future…
For Chris Houston, Managing Director of Tadweld, a leading steel fabrication company, it feels like not enough is being done. “Our welding industry is facing a cliff-edge moment, where skills shortages are going to cripple our ability to manufacture steel structures here in the UK. We all have a role to play, with action needed across Education, Government and Industry.”
For the government, there needs to be far more deliberate attention on our nation's manufacturing capability. The recently published industrial strategy is a start in recognising that we have a problem, but it falls way short of identifying the solutions to skills shortages like welding.
One immediate action could be the incentivisation of welding apprenticeships. Whilst apprenticeships themselves are 95% funded through the Apprentice Levy that began in 2017, the cost of an apprenticeship to employers has soared in recent years with a 66% increase in national minimum wage for apprentices between 2023 and 2025.
“At a point where apprenticeships have never been more needed, it is illogical to make them cripplingly expensive for employers. Due to these increased wage costs, we can now only afford to offer two apprenticeship positions for every three that we would have previously been available. This year, with the impact of increased National insurance, we can only afford to take one” says Houston
Of course, education has a role to play here too. There is a responsibility to get children interested and excited about practical STEM skills. Welding is a skilled profession, requiring a 42-month apprenticeship at Level 3, but the rewards are certainly there. Houston states “Once fully trained, our apprentices will normally earn around £30,000 per year, excluding overtime and bonuses. They are commonly debt free, have a profession for life, and after further experience can take home over £50,000 per annum. It is a fantastic option for practically minded people”.
However, part of the challenge for colleges is that there are less welding apprenticeship places on offer in industry, and so it’s harder for them to justify offering a suitable course. In the UK there are 91 colleges offering a level 3 fabricator welding course, but only 231 trainee welders graduated in 2024. Conversely, there were 622 visas issued for recruitment of international welders into the UK.
Houston summarises: “The problem is evident, we have an enormous skills gap in our industry, facing increasing demand and unprecedented levels of retirements. We need immediate and coordinated action to turbocharge the volume of trainee and apprentice welders in the UK. It is essential if we want to achieve our nation's infrastructure, defence and construction goals over the coming decades."
He adds:
"The 66% increase in apprentice NLW (National Living Wage) may have been well intentioned but it has completely handcuffed industry’s ability to invest in the skills it needs for the future, and is consequentially forcing an emphasis on international recruitment. This can’t be the right long-term approach so we need to think strategically about how we protect and develop this nationally important capability of welding."
To find out more about the history of the welding industry in the UK, visit: https://tadweld.co.uk/from-the-golden-era-to-an-acute-skills-gap-the-story-of-uk-welding/
For more information, visit www.tadweld.co.uk