Engineers in the making find a home in two new engineering institutions for children
“The utility sector has engineering in its very DNA, and that means an engineering mind set and not only mechanical tasks. The employers in gas, power, water and waste management serve 66 million people with complex environmental infrastructure and essential services every day. What they do underpins our very society. Helping school children at an early age to build that passion for helping others through engineering excellence is a core part of our Energy & Utilities skills strategy, and we are committed to helping the Institution of Primary Engineers and Institution of Secondary Engineers as they help society by growing the next generations of diverse talent.“
Skills crisis
With the UK facing a skills crisis across many sectors, forming a steady bedrock of professional skills formulated around engineering can only be a good thing. It is widely recognised that engineering skills are highly transferable and therefore can underpin a wide range of career paths and destinations. The importance of encouraging the next generation of engineers, data scientists, and other professions from a young age has never been more acute. Moreover, in an age of transformation that will have a dramatic effect on the future job market, the skills that best serve the future workforce are those which require a project-based skills approach, including problem-finding, problem-solving, systems thinking and implementation skills.
Primary Engineer is a leading proponent of projects that bring together industry, teachers and pupils throughout the UK, and engages with over 60,000 pupils annually through its various programmes. For Dr Scurlock, the ambition to combine curriculum experiences with extra-curricular and outside of school experiences into a cohesive structure that allows students to continue to feed their enthusiasm for learning throughout their own education, is the final piece of the STEM puzzle.
Open, inclusive, practical approach
Dr Scurlock concluded: “With an open, inclusive, practical approach, the institutions can become the backbone of skills-based STEM education in the UK. Now the real work begins, and we are calling for teachers, pupils and industry to get behind the Institutions and help us make them a platform to an exciting career that all pupils deserve.”
To find out more about the institutions, including how children, teachers, schools and enterprises can get involved, visit www.onedotall.com.
[Image caption] From left to right: Dr. Susan Scurlock, MBE, teacher, Laura Hamilton, Prof John Perkins, teacher Lorna Hay with founding members of the Institution of Primary Engineers.
-
Smart Manufacturing & Engineering Week
05 - 06 June, 2024
NEC, Birmingham -
HILLHEAD 2024
25 June, 2024, 9:00 - 27 June, 2024, 16:00
Hillhead Quarry, Buxton, Derbyshire UK