Is the UK really short of engineers?+
Employers say so. The IET's 2025 skills survey (30 September 2025) found that 76% of UK engineering employers struggle to recruit for certain skills. The Department for Education's Employer Skills Survey 2024 found that 48% of skilled trades vacancies were hard to fill because applicants lacked skills, the highest share of any occupation group. We train people in those skills and help them show evidence of it. That does not guarantee anyone a job.
What is free, and what costs money?+
Free: searching and applying for jobs, posting jobs, searching Vetted engineers, every free course (each lesson, note, quiz and final test), the Lab, the skill check, our team's review and the first week of a job simulation. Optional: a free-course certificate (£19, VAT included), a job simulation certificate (£14.99), Premium job simulations and the paid training programmes. Certificates are EDWartens certificates of completion. They are not regulated qualifications and not CPD-accredited. We never charge jobseekers to join, apply, be vetted or be introduced to an employer.
Can I learn engineering without a factory?+
You can learn a lot of the practical skill. In the EDWartens Lab you wire a control panel, program a PLC, tune a process loop and find faults in your browser, as many times as you need and with nothing to break. It is a practice environment, not the vendors' own software, and it does not replace time on real equipment. It is practice, not employment.
What is a job simulation?+
A realistic training project at a simulated UK company. You get a manager, tickets, drawings, colleagues to ask, a hand-in for each ticket and feedback. The first week (5 working days, about 3 to 4 hours) is free. It is practice, not employment, an internship or a work placement, and it does not lead to a job offer by itself.
What does Vetted mean?+
Engineers who want employers to find them are vetted in three steps. They add evidence: courses, certificates, Lab levels and job simulations. They pass a skill check, which includes a short written scenario that AI marks. Then a member of our team reviews the evidence and makes the decision. Vetted means we checked evidence of skills. It is not an identity, reference or background check, and the AI never ranks candidates for employers. The full standard is on How we vet.
How do employers hire engineers here?+
Create a free employer account and post a job. Our team checks your company before the job goes live. You can then review applicants and search Vetted engineers who agreed to be found, and read the evidence on each profile. There are no placement fees. Recruitment agencies are welcome, and their jobs are labelled Agency.
