Comment

Back to school and perceptions of engineering careers are looking up

The skills challenge may be improving but it isn’t going away. This is not a moment for firms to sit quietly at the back of the class, says Antony Oliver.

Antony Oliver, Infrastructure Intelligence editor

As the summer holidays draw to a close and a new school year approaches, it is worth reflecting on the work that continues across the engineering sector to support schools and the promotion of careers in the built environment.

It is fair to say that the need to boost the number and quality of students leaving school with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills still continues to feature on the anecdotal lists of “things that must change if we are to tackle the current pressure on human resources” across the profession.

"The indications are that we at last seem to be turning a corner in terms of interest in STEM subjects and boosting the perception of engineering as a career choice."

And with last week’s government announcement of a new apprenticeship levy to boost the level of investment made across industry in skills, there can be no question that, anecdotes aside, if engineering and consultancy is to reap benefit from this soon to be compulsory investment, an increase in the quality of raw materials coming out of schools will only help.

So there is some good news in the form of the impending results from Engineering UK’s latest Engineering perception survey due out next month. 

This research has surveyed schools students and STEM focused teachers each year since 2010 and, with the introduction of a number of standardised questions in 2013, is now capable of delivering some identifiable trends.

The numbers are still being crunched, but according to my conversation with EUK chief executive Paul Jackson last week, the indications are that we at last seem to be turning a corner in terms of interest in STEM subjects and boosting the perception of engineering as a career choice.

The full results will revealed by Paul and his team in the next few weeks but indications are that they will show a significant increase in the number of students who “see an engineering career as desirable” and in those who are “interested in a career in engineering”.

"Prepare yourself for the return to school and check out EUK’s database of UK schools and their STEM aspirations and needs."

Equally we will also see a similar upturn and understanding across the teaching profession with the number of teachers who “see engineering as a desirable career choice” rising significantly over the last five years.

Jackson accepts, of course, that the results demonstrate just the start of a major piece of work in progress but do, he says, vindicate the hard work that has been carried out across the industry through events such as the Big Bang Fairs and through one to one industry engagement with specific schools.

As he put it, “the more people see of the industry the more that they like it”. His target is to make a connection with 1M school students a year in the next five years – a target which he is well set to achieve through the organised and strategic actions across the profession, - not least through the Tomorrow’s Engineer Programme that supports companies and their work with schools. 

And that is all fantastic stuff.

My concern is that, when you look at the names of the businesses engaging with the Tomorrow’s Engineer Programme it is noticeably missing names from infrastructure and the built environment.

That is disappointing because I know that there is a great deal going on in this sector. Work that, with the help of this free support service, can surely be supported and shared to benefit others.

So prepare yourself for the return to school and check out EUK’s heatmap of UK schools and their STEM aspirations and needs. The skills challenge may be improving but it isn’t going away. This is not a moment to sit quietly at the back of the class. 

  

Antony Oliver is the editor of Infrastructure Intelligence

If you would like to contact Antony Oliver about this, or any other story, please email antony.oliver@infrastructure-intelligence.com.

Comments

After completing school and colleges the most common tasks of a student is to looking for a suitable job for career growth; but due to lack of proper sources they are suffering from different issues. Here we can get some suitable and beneficial program introduced by government in order to boost our career after school and colleges. From this article we can get some related tips on career development as well as the concept of back to school briefly.