Booming Dyson calls for more engineers

The chief executive of Dyson has called for schools to do more to encourage students into engineering as the maker of bagless vacuum cleaners today unveiled another set of record results.

Max Conze revealed the company is planning to hire 650 engineers this year, including 250 in the UK, but warned it was facing "a lot of competition for that talent".

"We clearly can't recruit enough bright young engineers fast enough," he said, adding that getting more young people into engineering "has a lot to do with education in school and making sure the right curriculum is set".

The lack of available engineers has been a favourite issue of Dyson's founder Sir James Dyson, and in 2010 he wrote a report for the Conservatives on how to boost the UK manufacturing and technology industries.

Mr Conze's comments came as Dyson announced turnover in 2012 reached £1.2bn, up from £1.06bn the year before, and profits rose 19 per cent to £364m.

Dyson did not pick out the figures for the UK, but Mr Conze said 2012 had been "a good growth year" in the country.

The company also highlighted the corporation tax – £65m – it paid in the UK last year, saying it was part of a worldwide tax bill for the year totalling £100m.

"We are proud to be a British engineering company," Mr Conze said.