In the week that 335,000 students in the UK received their A Level results engineers'body the IET has warned that the economy needs more science,maths and engineering graduates.
"Currently,the UK is only producing 25 to 50%of the engineering graduates that the economy needs,"said the Institution of Engineering and Technology(IET).
This means that an extra 200,000 engineers will be needed in the industry by 2020.
"We are at risk of stifling economic growth if we do not encourage more students to study STEM subjects which are crucial to increase the output of UK plc,"said Stephanie Fernandes,IET Principal Policy Advisor for Education and Skills.
The demand for engineers in industry is growing.According to the IET's skills survey for 2012 shows that over the next year,58%of companies are planning to recruit,compared to just 36%in 2011.
Fernandes believes to meet this growing demand for engineers the country needs more people studying science and engineering subjects at university and taking up jobs in this sector.
"Whilst entries for STEM subjects have risen,it is important that young people continue their studies into higher education,"said Fernandes.
