The demand for engineering professionals is set to rise in the UK in the next 10 years due to advances in technology and changes in the industry and consumer demands. Research published by the UK Department for Education and Skills highlights this increase and forecasts that the market will expand at a rate of 2% a year.
With the reported rise of six percent in the last ten years of the number of undergraduates studying engineering, is the UK meeting this demand? Perhaps not. A recent report from the Engineering Council showed that the 'drop-out' rate in engineering works before graduation exceeded that of any other subject.The study reveals that 15,931 UK students were accepted onto engineering courses at undergraduate degree level in 1999 - six per cent more than a decade earlier - and that they boasted higher average A level scores than their counterparts of a few years previously (19.6 compared to 18.7) Yet the 'drop-out' rate in the first year among 1996-1997 intake stood at 12 percent. Most 'drop-out' students, according to the HEFCE (Higher Education Funding Council for England) had relatively low entry qualifications. Andrew Ramsay, the Director responsible for Engineers' Regulation, is concerned and has said that: "Widening the access to engineering courses will lead to undergraduates who are not prepared for the depth of knowledge engineering courses demand. Universities, there are unwilling to recognise the importance of a good grounding in science and maths will continue to risk high drop-out rates"
To this end, the Engineering Council is encouraging universities to provide foundation courses to give students the experience and knowledge they need to have the best chance of completing their degree successfully and thus meet the standards required to achieve professional engineer status.
With the increased demand for engineers over the next ten years and the reported high 'drop-out' rate, it's obvious increasingly important that all potential engineers are encouraged and developed. Women represent just over a third of A-level mathematics entrants, one fifth of those taking physics and half the population. They achieve the range of top grades in proportion with men. Based on educational achievement there is no reason why women shouldn't make up a similar proportion of new engineering professionals.
Engineering is a well-paid profession for those with the right education, training and skills. The UK Department of Trade and Industry has recently released figures that prove that engineering graduates are amongst those who are more likely to start their careers on higher salaries. Additionally the report emphasises that engineering students rank amongst those more likely to find permanent employment on leaving university at 83% in contrast to the 64% for all graduates.
Most engineers have rewarding and fulfilling careers and enjoy huge job satisfaction. Some engineers do better still and go on to command high profile, high paying jobs. In 2000, 15 FTSE top 100 executives held engineering qualifications as opposed to 17 with accounting qualifications. So contrary to popular belief, engineers do make it to the top.
Big earners with an engineering background include the Chief Engineer at Mclaren who earns in the region of £2 million and Chief Executive of BT, who is a chartered Engineer and earns in the excess of £1 million.
Other engineers who have found fame and fortune include James Dyson, the man who invented the Dyson Vacuum cleaner and the Microsoft founder Bill Gates, the American multimillionaire!
Coming back to the more normal, engineers are involved in every aspect of daily life as well as more unusual projects that you may not be aware of. Did you know that engineers save more lives than doctors in the early stages of drought and earthquake disasters, by reconnecting water supplies, thus avoiding the spread of disease? And had you ever wondered who creates and who maintains the technology which doctors use to save lives in our hospital every day of the year?
Clean water, light and heat in our homes, worldwide transport and technological advances in music are all the results of engineers' achievement. It is the skill of engineers that has improved our quality of life and saved lives by designing and building artificial limbs, heart pacemakers and dialysis machines.
But studying engineering not only qualifies you to work in an engineering-related job. It also opens doors to just about any other career you could think of. Many engineering graduates go into other fields such as music, media finance and commerce because employers know that engineering is a good 'general' qualification. Numeracy, creativity, scientific knowledge and team working are all skills that professional engineers have and employers want. Today's music industry relies increasingly on engineering and technology and on the electrical sound and lighting engineers behind the stars of the pop world. Professional engineers are recognised throughout the world so engineering may provide an opportunity to work overseas, using other languages and experiencing other cultures.
Employers want engineers because they recognise that their skills are good for business and for the national economy. Economic research demonstrates that the employment of well-qualified engineers and scientists pays off in terms of national competitiveness and company profitability. Recent developments in the economic theory and research suggest a very important role for technological change and education in the process of economic growth.
Discover what engineering in the UK really has to offer in tomorrow's world by becoming the engineers and technologists of tomorrow and giving yourselves and everyone else a more rewarding more prosperous future.
