Two surveys revealed last week the extent of confusion among young people about what engineers actually do, with most believing that engineers are men in overalls who fix things.
A survey by National Grid of 1,300 young people aged 14-19 revealed low levels of awareness and interest, and a picture of confusion about engineering.
The Engineering our Future study found that six out of ten young people were not able to name a recent engineering achievement, and that they had a “blue collar” image of engineers. It also found that teachers and parents believed engineering was a career choice for students who are “less academic”.
But separate research, conducted for the Engineering and Technology Board (ETB), showed that 85% of the general public would recommend a career in engineering to their children, friends or family, compared with only 66% in a pilot study. This was attributed to perceived higher levels of job security and employment prospects than in the economy as a whole.
The ETB report also found that only 12% of 11 to 16-year-olds knew much about what an engineer actually did, and only 18% viewed engineering as desirable. And half of all 7 to 11-year-olds thought being an engineer would be boring.
Paul Jackson, chief executive of the ETB, said: “While the older generation increasingly understand the role that engineers play, there is a time-lag in getting the message across to young people.”
Steve Holliday, chief executive of National Grid, said: “We know from our workforce planning that nearly 1,000 new roles are needed by 2020. We need to inspire today’s youth and help them see how exciting and interesting a career in engineering can be.”
| BUT SCIENCE STUDIES ARE ON THE UP |
|
In contrast, the recent GCSE results brought good news for the engineering sector as the number of students taking single sciences continued on an upward trend.
There was a 21% increase in entrants taking physics, a 20% increase in entrants taking chemistry and an 11% increase in entrants taking additional maths. The A*-C pass rates for the subjects were 93.1%, 94% and 68% respectively.
Overall, the number of young people entering for engineering-related single sciences has doubled since 2000.
Lee Hopley, head of skills policy at manufacturers’ organisation the EEF, said: “The rise in the numbers of young people taking single-science subjects at GCSE is a welcome development and reverses the worrying trend of recent years.
“Getting young people enthusiastic about science and the opportunities it can offer can only be welcomed.”
|
© PE Publishing, 9 September 2009
