- What is your role at EngineeringUK?
My role at EngineeringUK is Head of Professional Institutions and Partnerships, with a remit to develop and retain relationships with Professional Engineering Institutions, academia and businesses to meet EUK’s strategic objectives and commercial strategy.
- What does EngineeringUK do?
EngineeringUK is the operational name for the Engineering and Technology Board, a not-for-profit organisation with a remit to promote education and engagement in engineering and technology. We are privileged to receive a share of the registration fees of professionally registered engineers and technicians (alongside the Engineering Council) and our work is also supported by 34 Corporate Members as well as other funders of our activities.
- What gets you out of bed in a morning?
The drive to work collaboratively with others to achieve our mission to enable more young people from all backgrounds to be informed, inspired and progress into engineering and technology.
- What makes EngineeringUK different?
Our collaborative approach to working with others to overcome the barriers to achieving our mission, which include:
- Lack of clarity on future workforce needs and what interventions change young people’s behaviour.
- Poor coordination and weak evidence for the activities run by hundreds of organisations trying to encourage young people to choose engineering and tech careers.
- Shortage of the engagement activity needed to give all children a good chance of progressing into engineering and tech (we estimate that 2M encounters in primary and 2.5M in secondary schools are needed each year).
- Inconsistent access to specialised teaching, careers advice and courses needed to progress into engineering, tech and technician roles and resolve skills shortages.
- What are the businesses greatest strengths?
The breadth of knowledge and expertise across the organisation. Our research, which underpins everything we do, covering a variety of topics and themes including Educational pathways into engineering, Industry and the engineering workforce, Diversity in engineering, Careers provision and engineering outreach, Perceptions and knowledge of engineers and engineering. We share and apply our learnings widely. We have a number of strategic partnerships – to help broaden reach especially to under-represented groups, including with Careers & Enterprise Company, Department for Education, Engineering Council, Royal Academy of Engineering, STEM Learning and UK Research and Innovation and our corporate member network, which comprises some of the country’s best-known engineering companies.
- What are your primary markets / sectors?
Young people/teachers/employers and Professional Engineering Institutions.
- Do you have growth plans for the future?
We’ve just launched our 2023-228 strategy of which there are 4 main strands that we will work with stakeholders to achieve.
1 – We’ll work to establish the composition of the current engineering and technology workforce, future workforce needs and how to address them:
- Providing evidence that can be used to deliver accurate careers information on future workforce needs and better informed policy development
- Providing evidence so that engineering and tech engagement and careers information can be delivered more inclusively and effectively, increasing its impact on young people’s career aspirations and choices
2 – We’ll Lead efforts to grow the collective impact of all engineering and tech inspiration and careers activities with young people of school ages:
- Enabling more students to participate in quality engineering and tech experiences
- Improving the coordination, inclusivity, targeting, efficiency and impact of engineering and tech engagement activities
- Providing relevant, inspiring and accessible careers resources that inspire more, and more diverse, young people to choose engineering, technician, tech and green careers
3 – We’ll Expand EngineeringUK’s activities to encourage more, and more diverse, young people into engineering, technician and tech roles focused on:
- Increasing the reach – and through targeting, testing and iteration – the impact of EngineeringUK’s activities for young people, prioritising content relating to sustainability.
4 – Advocacy and support to address policy and delivery challenges in STEM and careers education and workforce planning for engineering and tech :
- ensuring that young people have the educational and careers opportunities they need to progress into engineering and tech, especially in areas that address workforce needs
- Supporting successful delivery of new and established vocational routes to grow the number of young people entering engineering, tech, and technician roles
We know what we want to achieve, but we cannot do it alone, so we will always be working with others and look forward to opportunities to work collaboratively with EMN going forward.