New government education campaign to promote engineering skills

The government is launching a new campaign designed to bolster interest in engineering careers among young people, while providing new educational opportunities to provide them with the skills they need to succeed in this field.

With 2018 having been designated the Year of Engineering, various government departments will be working alongside engineering industry experts and hundreds of businesses to change perceptions of this line of work, inspiring a new generation of talented youngsters to pursue engineering careers and address the current skills gap.

For example, Siemens will help to organise a roadshow aimed at inspiring women - including black, Asian and minority ethnic girls - to take an interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, while Thales will be hosting robot clubs in primary schools across the country to inspire budding inventors.

The launch of the campaign this week will be marked by one-off events at schools across the UK, with students in Bolton using engineering to tackle real-life challenges for people with disabilities alongside charity group Remap, and pupils at a London school taking part in a cybersecurity competition.

Overall, the project will see the government working with around 1,000 partners to deliver one million inspiring experiences of engineering for young people, parents and teachers. Given that it is currently estimated that the UK is experiencing a shortfall of 20,000 engineering graduates every year, it is hoped that the campaign will yield lasting results.

Skills minister Anne Milton said: "I want to see everyone - whatever their background, wherever they live - to have a chance to get a rewarding career or job in engineering whether they come via a technical or academic route."