Memorandum submitted by The Royal Academy
of Engineering
1. The Academy (Note 1) considers that to
thrive in today's intensively competitive global environment the
UK needs highly talented people with a wide range of intellectual
and technical skills together with organisations and processes
that can deploy them effectively. Enhancing national capabilities,
recognising excellence and inspiring the next generation are strategic
priorities in which the universities have a major role to play.
2. The Academy is well informed of the role
and requirements of the universities through its current study
on Educating Engineers for the 21st century (Note 2). The
initial phase, conducted with Henley Management College, established
the industry view based on in depth interviews with twenty UK
major international companies and replies of 444 companies to
a detailed questionnaire, 53% of which came from small and medium
sized enterprises (SMEs) with less than 250 employees. Further
interviews were conducted with recent graduates from the Academy's
schemes. A detailed questionnaire has been sent to all university
departments of engineering to discover how they intend to meet
the industry requirement.
THE ROLE
OF UNIVERSITIES
OVER THE
5-10 YEARS
What do students want from universities?
3. All engineering students want to gain
a world-class internationally recognised degrees which will enable
them to qualify as professional engineers. While the majority
are content with the courses provided they agree with the industry
view that there should be more practical experience and "hands
on" content but not at the expense of understanding the fundamentals
of engineering science.
4. The perspective of the graduates in the
study focus groups emphasised what motivates students to study
engineering: a good all round degree course offering a wide range
of career options. There was a strong sense of wanting to make
a difference, contributing to society and being able to see the
results of your creativity.
5. UK degrees have a good reputation and
international students are attracted to our universities' courses:
indeed several universities are setting up overseas campuses to
cater for demand. In research there is a high proportion of international
students and there is a need to attract more UK students into
taking higher degrees (doctorates) in engineering, in line with
the recommendations of the Roberts' Report (Note 3), if the UK
is to achieve its economic growth target of increasing R&D
spend to 2.5% of GDP by 2014.
6. Also there is concern that the numbers
of UK entrants to engineering degree courses are static or even
dropping. If we are to deliver the vision of the UK as a global
leader in turning knowledge into new products and services we
need a step change in the number of students entering engineering
degree courses. Also the demographics are against us as there
will be fewer children in the next ten years who will be available
to go to university.
7. The issues need to be tackled on several
fronts. Contributions will come from: increasing the numbers of
students studying maths and physics at school; increasing the
proportion of these students who opt to study engineering; retaining
a higher proportion of engineering graduates in industry and allowing
overseas students who have studied at UK universities to remain
in the UK to work for a longer period than the current one-year.
8. Solutions will include better maths and
physics teaching in schools, effective schemes, especially in
schools, to encourage students to consider studying engineering
and more inspiring degree courses with closer industrial engagement.
What do employers want from graduates?
9. Many companies report difficulties today
in recruiting graduate engineers particularly in Civil Engineering,
Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Systems Engineering.
They comment that it is difficult to get "enough of the best"
and identify graduates in Information and Communications Technology
and Materials as being key to future growth.
10. Shortages of suitable engineering graduates
and skill gaps are affecting the performance of UK businesses.
Over one third of companies responding indicated that shortages
and skill deficiencies impacted on new product development and
business growth as well as recruitment costs. Specific gaps were
identified in problem solving and application of theory to real
problems, breadth and ability in maths.
11. The quality of the best UK engineering
graduates is considered by industry as good as their peers in
Europe despite our shorter degree courses and there is no desire
to move to five year courses in line with other parts of Europe.
12. There is, however, no room for complacency.
Employers seek to recruit graduates with some previous industrial
experience preferably gained as part of their course. They consider
that university courses need to provide more experience in applying
theoretical understanding to real problems.
13. It is considered that UK engineering
degree courses need development by recognising the changing requirements
of industry and in order to attract and maintain the motivation
of students. In terms of priorities for future graduate skills,
companies responded consistently in placing practical application,
theoretical understanding, creativity and innovation as top priorities.
While broader technological understanding is considered important
it should not come at the expense of understanding fundamentals.
Multidisciplinary system integration skills are seen as becoming
increasingly important in future technology development.
14. Key business skills are envisaged primarily
as commercial awareness or sensitivity (an understanding of how
businesses work and the importance of the customer) combined with
a basic understanding of project management.
15. The strong focus on creativity and innovation
supports the conclusions of Sir George Cox's Review (Note 4) about
the importance of creative skills in improving the UK's competitiveness
in the face of the challenge from emerging economies.
What should government, and society more broadly
want from HE?
16. So far as engineering is concerned the
above evidence clearly supports the view that the universities
should continue to maintain their excellence in research while
at the same time developing their taught courses in such a way
as to deliver motivated world-class engineering graduates with
the skills required by industry in order to fulfil their role
in delivering the Government's Science and Innovation Framework
objectives (Note 5).
17. The strategy for continuing to maintain
research excellence has already been laid out in the Academy/EPSRC
review The Wealth of the Nation: An Evaluation of Engineering
Research in the United Kingdom (Note 6). This recommends the
continued close cooperation between industry and the universities
and a closer integration of research in engineering and that in
pure science. It draws particular attention to the needs of industry
for personnel with postgraduate degrees.
18. There is, however, a current imbalance
between teaching and research in the universities which needs
to be addressed. While research and teaching are complementary
activities many feel that the status of teaching has suffered
as a result of the focus on the Research Assessment Exercise performance.
Initiatives are required to redress the balance and recognise
the importance of excellent teaching as a key contributor to the
economy.
19. As discussed above engineering courses
must become better aligned with the changing needs of business
and industry. In particular more and better quality project work
is needed based upon real-life problems, ideally delivered in
collaboration with industry.
20. Work is also required to improve the
approach to teaching to ensure students remain motivated and engaged
and graduate keen to pursue engineering careers. There are already
important developments in this area such as the pedagogic approach
taken in the CDIO (Conceive/Design/Implement/Operate) initiative
(Note 7) and team based hands-on engineering experience such as
Formula Student (Note 8) and the Constructionarium (Note 9). The
Higher Education Academy's Engineering Subject Centre (EngSC)
(Note 10) and the UK Centre for Materials Education Materials
(Note 11) have instituted a well thought of programme for sharing
and implementing best practice between universities which needs
to be encouraged by the Academy, the professional institutions
and HEFCE. Developments of this sort will not only improve graduate
performance in companies, but can also improve recruitment into
engineering courses and student motivation. The increased cost
of "hands on education" engineering training needs to
be recognised (see below).
21. Industry itself needs to commit to greater
involvement with undergraduate engineering education if the changes
it requires are to be delivered. For example: through industrial
project topics, compulsory assessed vacation placements, visiting
professors' lecturing, leading industrial case studies, industrial
advisory boards on course content and material. This is particularly
important in areas where there is not yet a strong engineering
academic research base such as systems engineering, design, sustainability,
service and support engineering. These new subjects should be
of great concern to society as whole as they underpin the ability
to deliver a sustainable development strategy.
22. As detailed above there is tremendous
potential, as well as economic necessity, for increasing the number
of students reading Science, Engineering and Technology (SET)
degrees. This means encouraging more school students to study
maths and physics at A level, another key feature of the Government's
Science and Innovation Strategy. There are opportunities for the
universities to engage more closely with schools and to collaborate
more closely with other providers such as the schemes in the Best
Programme (Note 12).
23. To achieve the targets for graduates
appropriate to a high-skill economy there is considerable scope
to widening participation and contributing to social mobility
through universities working closer with companies, schools and
the FE sector in providing access through vocational courses.
The Academy has set out to provide examples of best practice in
the National Engineering Programme, a consortium effort to strengthen
engineering higher education by working with universities to create
inspiring, attractive engineering degree courses, and then working
with local FE colleges and schools to provide candidates for those
courses (Note 13). Industry has a strong role to play: on one
hand they co-fund the programme along with government, on the
other hand they are able to go into schools and assure students
that there is good employment on offer after graduation. This
model of cooperative working is proving effective in raising the
profile of engineering (and the wider SET curriculum) in schools
where it has not been a priority in the past. Particular attention
is being paid to groups so far underrepresented in engineering
higher education: women, minority ethnic students, students from
families with no experience of higher education and adult learners.
UNIVERSITY FUNDING
24. Despite the grave reservations about
the funding formulae for both HEFCE and EPSRC grants, university
engineering departments can work within the current system. However,
the funding problem does mean that the current system is not adequate
for industries' aspirations (Note 2).
25. There are, however, strong criticisms
of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) (see above paragraph
18) and its adverse effect on teaching quality in the universities.
The Academy has made detailed recommendations for reform in this
area in its response to the DfES in its Reform of Higher Education
Research Assessment and Funding consultation (Note 14).
26. The Academy considers that the funding
of HE should accord with the government's wider economic objectives
(Note 5) and be planned and directed to provide industry with
the skilled workforce required to achieve these.
27. The major issue in England is that currently
the unit of resource allocated by HEFCE to deliver engineering
courses is far below the cost of delivery so that there is no
incentive for universities to increase numbers or, more seriously,
fund the facilities required for curriculum development. The key
factor is the ratio/multiplier. Medical studies receive four times
the basic unit of resource, but engineering, classified as a full
lab-based subject, receives only 1.7 times. Engineering is a high
cost subject to teach—for example small group design is
vital to effective and engaging teaching, but by its nature requires
modern equipment , a good teaching staff/student ratio, and of
course technicians—both for teaching support and maintenance.
Engineering was funded at a ratio of two times the standard unit,
but this was lowered to 1.7 between 2003 and 2004. This has had
a detrimental impact on engineering with universities applying
downward pressure on engineering undergraduate numbers. The extra
money allocated by HEFCE for Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering
and Materials is very welcome, however, given the problems engineering
has to encounter one wonders why the extra resource is being denied
to the other engineering disciplines.
28. Acknowledging that there is only a finite
level of money to spend on HE, it is possible to envisage an interim,
cost-neutral proposal—one we have raised with HEFCE. The
Academy believes that quality of engineering education is crucially
important and that it would be preferable, in the short-term,
to increase the per-student funding to at least the two-times-multiplier
at the expense of student numbers. Engineering departments would
be given the same amount of funding, teaching fewer students.
This is not the preferred solution given the need for a step change
in the number of engineering students required if the UK is to
meet the economic and SET targets set out by the Treasury. However,
it is a pragmatic way forward in the short-term.
29. It is too early to a say what the overall
effect of the top-up fees will be. Initial returns seem to indicate
a slight overall decrease in the number of applications for engineering
degrees. Industry is concerned at the rise in student debt which
could affect the numbers taking the longer Masters courses and
advise against any further increase in top-up fees.
THE STRUCTURE
OF THE
HE SECTOR
30. From our survey of university engineering
departments the current structure of the HE sector is appropriate
and sufficiently flexible to allow for the necessary developments.
It is, however, only sustainable in the future if appropriate
level of funding is provided by government as detailed above.
31. The current under funding of engineering
degree courses is causing most departments to hold numbers static
or slightly decrease them. There is an aspiration to increase
numbers which is necessary, and proper, to support the Government's
priorities in the Science & Innovation Framework 2004-2014.
This provides clear goals for the Sector which the Government
should adequately fund and steer particularly in the area of strategic
subjects such as engineering.
NOTES
1. The Royal Academy of Engineering [RAEng]
brings together over 1200 distinguished engineers, drawn from
all the engineering disciplines. Its aim is to promote excellence
in engineering for the benefit of the people of the United Kingdom.
(www.raeng.org.uk)
2. See (www.raeng.org.uk/henleyreport).
3. SET for Success HM Treasury April
2002
4. Cox Review of Creativity in Business:
building on the UK's Strengths HMSO November 2005
5. Science and Innovation Investment Framework
2004-2014 HM Treasury July 2004
6. The Wealth of a Nation-An Evaluation
of Engineering Research in the United Kingdom EPSRC/RAEng February
2005
7. See http://www.cdio.org
8. See http://www.imeche.org.uk/formulastudent
9. See Constructionarium: Build to learn
CEBE Transactions, Vol2.Issue1 pp6-16 April 2005
10. See http://www.engsc.ac.uk
11. See http://www.materials.ac.uk
12. The Best Programme provides support
to over 80000 students in science, engineering and technology
for age 9 to 36 years. The Best Programme works in primary schools
to build an enthusiasm for SET subjects, in secondary schools
to promote engineering and related SET careers, in universities
to support gifted engineering students and beyond university to
develop engineers in their careers. Best is already making a significant
impact with over 1300 Young Engineers Clubs established in schools.
Through the Smallpeice Trust and the Engineering Education Scheme
over 3000 (mostly Year 12) students gain direct experience of
working with industry and studying in university engineering departments
each year and a further 800 students attend one week induction
courses in SET subjects in 26 universities through the Headstart
Programme. A further 700 students take a gap year in industry
through the Year in Industry scheme. The schemes are proving successful
in attracting women into SET with attendances of 30-40%. Evidence
from the Headstart and Engineering Education Schemes show that
generally over 75% of attendees proceed to take SET degree courses.
(www.raengbest.org.uk)
13. The NEP started with the London Engineering
Project pilot in Southwark in late 2005. This will work with five
universities and 50 schools over 4.5 years. The pattern will be
repeated, modified and enhanced, as appropriate, in six regions
in England over the ten years. The NEP supports schools with their
raised profile for SET by providing students with access to hands-on
SET activities in class, residential and other SET learning events
out of school and a system for mentoring of students with a capacity
for higher education and ability in SET. This attention paid on
schools and groups so-far unengaged in engineering is seen as
key to strengthening the engineering profession in the long-term.
The NEP is led by the Royal Academy of Engineering with the generous
support of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
14. See http://www.raeng.org.uk
December 2006
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