When it comes to the profession of engineering, a lot of outdated misconceptions still exist. People still believe that by training as an engineer you will be signing yourself up for a lifetime faced with dirty, boring and labour-intensive work. Of course, this is not the case!
These misconceptions put engineering in a bad light. A bad light that makes people think it won’t be an attractive career choice. Because of this negative talk, it now means that every year, the UK faces a shortfall of 81,000 people with engineering skills in the workforce.
To remedy this, there are calls for more females to join the ranks of this still very male dominated industry and calls for more children to be given a taster of what it’s like to be an engineer at a younger age. But what can be done to make the industry seem more attractive?
First of all, the misconception that you will be working in a dirty factory environment needs to be dispelled. As an engineer you could be working anywhere from an office filled with cutting-edge technology to working in a different country every month.
Secondly, more needs to be made of what engineering does actually involve. Many people won’t be aware that engineers have a hand in creating everything from the latest smartphones to superfast aeroplanes. In fact, it needs to be stressed that far from being something confined to a dirty, dingy environment, engineering in fact plays a role in space, transport, medicine, technology, food, fashion, construction, to name just but a few industries!
We are not the only ones who want to change the face of engineering. To teach people the difference between rotary swaging and resistive loads among other things, a number of campaigns have been set up. Take a look at some of these below.
National Women in Engineering Day
Set up in 2014 to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Women’s Engineering Society, the National Women in Engineering Day is dedicated to raising the profile and celebrating the achievements of women in engineering.
Largely seen as a male dominated profession, the day, set to take place annually on June 23, aims to show girls that engineering is not just for boys!
Currently, women only represent 7 percent of the engineering workforce in the UK, which is the lowest percentage in Europe. This is not surprising given that only a fifth of female students take Physics to A Level. The day will try and change these figures and show women that engineering is not all dirty and boring with a number of conferences, talks and practical events from key female figures in engineering.
You can find out what 2015 has to offer here.
e² Young Engineers
e² Young Engineers enrichment programs are all about showing the fun side of engineering with edutainment: the blend of education and entertainment for children of all ages and abilities.
With special programs and workshops, the organisers use all kinds of stories, experiments and demonstrations to show children just how fun engineering can be.
By using computerised Lego Technic and K’nex building toys, they also teach them how they might not realise it to begin with, but Physics and Maths are actually used a lot more than they may think. Find out more.
Tomorrow’s Engineers
Tomorrow’s Engineers provides a one-stop shop for information and resources to inspire the next generation of engineers.
Working with businesses, not for profit organisations and charities, Tomorrow’s Engineers is all about making sure young people aged between 11-19 don’t believe the misconceptions and instead see for themselves exactly what engineering is all about.
Find out more.
Do you think the world is changing the face of engineering? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Roddy Keetch / Flickr
Leave a Reply