In tune with Tomorrow’s Engineers

Mouchel engineer Joanna Anderson has written and performed a special song to promote Tomorrow’s Engineer’s week.

Engineering musician Joanna Anderson has committed her enthusiasm and passion for engineering to song and with help fro the ICE, posted a performance on YouTube to promote Tomorrow’s Engineers Week.

The 23 year old Mouchel engineer hopes her talents will reach out to and inspire the next generation of engineers using music, humour and social media.

“It is vital that we do more to promote engineering to boys and girls, challenging the view that a civil engineer is a man, in a hard hat, who and spends all day onsite outside,” Joanna Anderson.

The song’s lyrics highlight the excitement and challenge of a career in engineering and also talk about civil engineering as a career for all – not just boys – underlining the fact that while female applications to ICE are slowly rising, women still only represent 10% of ICE’s total.

“It is vital that we do more to promote engineering to boys and girls, challenging the view that a civil engineer is a man, in a hard hat, who and spends all day onsite outside,” said Anderson.

“Most of us do not fit that stereotype - civil engineering offers so many diverse and fascinating roles,” added Anderson who, outside of work, teaches guitar and music theory and regularly performs comedy songs at The Spare Rib shows in Liverpool.

“Many young boys and girls like to build things and let their imagination run free, they are also into technology, and want to know why things are the way they are and how things work,” ICE Head of Education and Inspiration, John Laverty.

“These youngsters could well be the next generation of engineers, but they – or their parents or teachers - don’t know enough about it or hold outdated perceptions of engineering,” he added. “Joanna’s song – and the passion she personally exudes for civil engineering - does just that. We encourage everyone to watch and share it, and join us in celebrating Tomorrow’s Engineers week.”

Sung to a film featuring images of worldwide civil engineering projects, civil engineers and budding civil engineers - the lyrics include:

“Have you thought about when school is done what you might like to be? There’s a big world of careers with lots of possibility; It might seem like its years away, but it’s not going to be long; I want to tell you about engineering so I wrote this song."

CHORUS

“It’s Tomorrow’s Engineers Week and this is a song for you

To tell you about the things that civil engineers do

Being an engineer’s fun, being an engineer’s cool

You can be an engineer when you grow up and leave school

There’s so many exciting options in careers

If you decide you want to be one of Tomorrow’s Engineers!”

“I didn't know about civil engineering until I was 18 and I wish I had known earlier. I work to promote engineering because I love it, I love what I do and I want others, especially young people, to know about it. I hope my song helps,” she said.

Anderson currently works as a traffic signals specialist in the highways design and management team at civil engineering firm Mouchel, and is apprentice to the ICE North West Chair Gareth Scott - who describes her as someone with “infectious enthusiasm who eats, sleeps and breathes civil engineering”.

Joanna joined forces with ICE on the song, in the hope that engaging with young people in a more creative, fun way would pique their interest in engineering as a career, and bust outdated perceptions about who civil engineers are. It is hoped the song will go viral during Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, a campaign which aims to shine a light on engineering careers in a way that young people, their parents and their teachers may have never considered before - showcasing real engineers and real engineering.

“Many young boys and girls like to build things and let their imagination run free, they are also into technology, and want to know why things are the way they are and how things work,” ICE Head of Education and Inspiration, John Laverty.

“These youngsters could well be the next generation of engineers, but they – or their parents or teachers - don’t know enough about it or hold outdated perceptions of engineering,” he added. “Joanna’s song – and the passion she personally exudes for civil engineering - does just that. We encourage everyone to watch and share it, and join us in celebrating Tomorrow’s Engineers Week.”

#Singingengineer #TEWeek2015