Wanted: engineers to share career stories
15 August 2019
EngineeringUK is on the lookout for early career engineers, engineering technicians or apprentices who are interested in sharing the story of their job and the route that got them started. The career stories will help to inspire the next generation of engineers to consider a role in engineering.
Engineers have a specific skillset and play a vital role in shaping our world, from where we live and how we communicate, to what we do for leisure. By seeing what engineers do in their day-to-day work and learning how they started their careers, through both academic and vocational paths, the case studies aim to help young people understand how jobs in engineering can be achieved and how their interests can play a central part of their future professional life. For example, many young people are motivated by the opportunity to address global challenges, such as ensuring access to clean water, sanitation and affordable and sustainable energy, but do not realise how central engineering is to solve these problems.
Over a quarter of UK enterprises are involved in engineering, employing more than five and a half million people. Demand for engineering skills is high and will continue to rise in the future – EngineeringUK estimates the UK will need around 203,000 roles requiring engineering skills to be filled annually through to 2024.
There’s a critical shortfall in the young people on pathways to fill future jobs that won’t be resolved simply by encouraging more people to study science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). EngineeringUK is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and the need to increase the diversity as well as the number of young people choosing academic and vocational pathways into engineering.
Women are underrepresented in engineering, making up only 12% of the workforce, and at A level only 29% of girls’ take STEM subjects. Black, Asian and minority ethnic people (BAME) are also underrepresented in the engineering sector and to that end EngineeringUK is particularly keen to feature on the Tomorrow’s Engineers site the stories of engineers working in the UK from a BAME background.
By showing young people that engineers from similar backgrounds to themselves are engaged in well paid and fulfilling careers and by letting them know how to go about pursuing such a career for themselves, Tomorrow’s Engineers hopes to show young people that there is potentially a place for them in engineering.
The Real Jobs section of the Tomorrow’s Engineers website features interview case studies with people working in all areas of the engineering world but is additionally seeking voices from newer and expanding areas of the sector – from computer and software to biomedical engineering. Tomorrow’s Engineers would also like to hear from engineering professionals who have entered their career through a vocational or apprenticeship route.
Depending on time pressures, availability and location of the participant the stories on the website can take the form of a short, written piece or a video interview.
Engineers interested in helping promote their work and taking part are encouraged to get in touch and the Tomorrow’s Engineers communications team will follow up: https://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/mystory