(Image credit: HM Government)
The UK government has recently partnered with a ton of industry, academic and corporate leaders for the 2018 Year of Engineering campaign, designed to bring awareness and understanding about the world of engineering. According to a report from EngineeringUK, there is an annual shortage of engineering graduates (an estimated shortfall of 20,000 per year), outlining that only 80% of engineering enterprises have just four or fewer employees, making up 19% of the UK workforce.
The UK Space Agency is set to support the campaign by funding seven educational STEM) and outreach projects- including Monitoring the Environment and Learning for Tomorrow (MELT), which will allow students to monitor and analyze observation data aggregated from the North and South Poles. Moreover, the Agency will collaborate with the Design and Technology Association to design a series of curriculum-based resources teachers can use to motivate students to work in the space industry.
Additional partners include 3M, Siemens, BAE Systems, Hitachi, Boeing and many others, all of which aim to help kids become interested in the engineering fields. Some will build upon existing initiatives such as Engineering UK’s Big Bang Fair (young scientists and engineering fair) and the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Ingenious program, which awards grants to students for their engineering projects through competition.
Academic institutions, large corporations and various government agencies aren’t the only ones involved in the Year of Engineering program, as parents and engineers are encouraged to join the initiative through endeavors such as helping them with their homework (Math, Science, etc.) or enrolling them in STEM-based clubs, such as coding, robotics or engineering. Engineers from all backgrounds are encouraged to share their experiences and advice either in schools or via social media.
“There is much incredible activity already happening to encourage young people into the sector. During the Year of Engineering, we aim to unify and amplify these efforts working hand in hand with partners in the engineering, charity, and STEM education sectors.
We want to give young people, their families, and teachers an opportunity to ‘take a closer look’ at engineering. And in doing so, create greater, lasting impact - building the momentum and scale that will deliver real change,” stated Jo Parry (Head of Year of Engineering Communications, Department for Transport) in a blog post for the EEF (manufacturers’ organization) published in September of last year. He went on to add, “We want to give young people, their families, and teachers an opportunity to ‘take a closer look’ at engineering. And in doing so, create greater, lasting impact - building the momentum and scale that will deliver real change.”
It will be interesting to see how many students become interested in the engineering fields when the Year of Engineering concludes. Will the numbers steadily rise for engineering graduates or will they stay the same or decrease? My money’s on kids and their inquisitive minds, who will ultimately surprise us all with what they can achieve.
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