The word from the Minister

 

Ian Pearson, Minister for Science and Innovation, outlines the exciting and important part engineers will play in the UK’s future.

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The United Kingdom has the enviable reputation of being a technologically advanced, globally competitive country. And we have engineers to thank for their part in this.

People like Tim Burners-Lee, who is credited with inventing the World Wide Web; Jonathan Ive, designer of the original iPod and iMac, or Sir James Dyson, inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner.

All of these are examples of engineers who have not only enriched our lives, but have and continue to contribute to the UK economy, making this country an attractive base for other businesses.

And this is important because the UK, despite its very real successes, cannot afford to stand still. In an increasingly competitive world we need a highly-skilled workforce that produces innovative, high value products and services.

The UK needs engineers to step up and take on new challenges – the major issues of our time: climate change; food shortages and alternative energy sources to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.

Take transport, for example. One of the biggest producers of CO2 emissions is the traffic on our roads. We’re serious about reducing these emissions and that’s why the Government, through the Technology Strategy Board and the Department for Transport funding research low-carbon vehicle technology.

This money will assist engineers and designers to develop solutions right here in the UK. And if it all goes to plan, we could see low carbon vehicles on our roads within five to seven years.

On sustainable energy, meanwhile, the EU has set a target of sourcing 20 per cent of its energy from renewables by 2020. Meeting the UK's share of this target will mean a big change in how we generate renewable energy.

And meeting that change is precisely why the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), together with industry, will have up to £1 billion to spend on low carbon technology development. Let’s be clear, at the frontline it’s the engineers in companies like EDF Energy, Shell, BP, E.ON UK, Caterpillar and Rolls Royce that have the challenging – and hopefully rewarding – job of devising breakthrough technologies in new, clean energy sources.

So there’s little doubt as to the importance of engineers, both in terms of the UK’s capacity to compete globally and its role in tackling the wider challenges confronting us all.

What is less certain is whether we will encourage enough young people to study engineering and engineering-related subjects at school and university.

What is clear is that there is a shortage of engineers now, today. As the average age of the population rises, we will need even more new blood to replace today’s engineers as they retire or move away from the sector.

As Government Minister for Science and Innovation I can assure you that Government recognises the need to recruit the engineers of the future. If you’re thinking about studying engineering, then you should know the Government is spending £31m to recruit and retrain of science teachers, including £11m for staff to retrain as maths, science or physics specialists. You can be assured teachers going through this process will have relevant, up to date knowledge of the subject.

For younger people we are proud to have created the successful Science and Engineering Ambassadors scheme which is going from strength to strength. Established in 2002, in January this year the scheme reached the milestone having 18,000 ambassadors selling careers in science and engineering to the next generation.. Indeed, only last week I was proud to announce our plans to boost the number of ambassadors to 27,000 by 2011.

These are people passionate about what they do - studying or working in science and engineering, keen share their knowledge and experience with young people. I urge readers to attend the science clubs, talks or displays arranged by ambassadors in their regions.

There is more to do and from September we’ll be offering the brand new Engineering Diploma, developed with input from universities and employers. Like all of the new Diplomas, it will provide 14-19 year olds with hands-on, work-related learning in an area that suits their interests and abilities.

The opportunities for engineers in today’s world are endless, from taking the World Wide Web to its next level to working to replace the internal combustion engine. That’s why I encourage everyone with an interest in this area – and indeed in science, maths or technology – to consider further study and a career making the UK a better place to live for us all.

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