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Encouraging skills development is a key part of the UK Government's strategy. This emphasis on skills has led to changes in Higher Education, where there is an increasing recognition of the need to enhance students' employability. This paper reviews the data on the type of employer skill needs available in the existing literature with a particular emphasis on those skills required by engineering and manufacturing employers. Statistical data related to skill gaps in engineering and manufacturing in the UK and London/Thames Gateway are presented with the intention to determine whether and how these relate to the employability skills and competences listed by various organisations. The paper arrives at a number of conclusions. In summary, for the "engineering and manufacturing workforce skills development" ethos to become widespread in London (and the UK in general), a lot more needs to be done to understand the needs of industry to be able to develop provision that supports Londoners (and the UK citizens in general) in gaining appropriate skills in engineering. This can only be achieved through cooperative, inclusive, transparent and centrally coordinated approaches to skills assessment, monitoring and development. (Contains 1 table.)