Memorandum 51
Submission from IET (Institution of Engineering
and Technology)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Engineers perform a vital role in any society
and engineering is an extremely varied field with many different
specialisms and roles. The key to any definition of engineering
is the creative application of science to solve the problems faced
by society. The "invisibility" of so much of the technology
in use today hides the complexity and achievements of the engineers
who design, build and maintain it. It is evident that UK policy
makers are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of engineering,
and science to the UK economy.
The skills challenges facing the sector are
very real and there is no single solution. It is vital that rectifying
actions focus on increasing the supply of qualified engineers
at all levels in many disciplines. We note that to date the actions
focus on improving the image that young people have of engineering
and on improving delivery of science, mathematics and technology
in schools.
We believe that collaboration between all stakeholders
(Government, industry, academia and the professional bodies) is
fundamental to ensuring that the UK has the right people and skills
to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by engineering
and technology in the future.
1. Introduction
1.1. The Institution of Engineering and
Technology (The IET) is one of the world's leading professional
bodies for the engineering and technology community. The IET has
more than 150,000 members in 127 countries and has offices in
Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. The Institution provides
a global knowledge network to facilitate the exchange of knowledge
and to promote the positive role of science, engineering and technology
in the world.
1.2. We fully endorse the joint evidence
submitted to this inquiry by ECuk, the Engineering Technology
Board and the engineering institutions to which we contributed.
We have made this additional submission to provide further information.
2. The role of engineering and engineers in
UK society
2.1. Engineers have played an important
role in UK society for hundreds of years. The best way to examine
their contribution is to define what engineering actually is.
This is not an easy question to answer. The two definitions below
came from discussions through the letters pages of our member
magazine:
2.2. "The IET defines an engineer as
a person who applies science to solve practical problems, to create
or improve high-tech devices, innovative products and sleek processes
that let people take control of the places where they live-whether
that's a fast-moving city or a remote hot desert." [Feedback,
Vol 3, £2, E&T Magazine]
2.3. "Engineers are creative, imaginative,
capable and resourceful. Engineers make things work and bring
ideas from the drawing board to real tangible entities. In Victorian
times, engineers built big things. Now, while engineers still
build big things | [they also] bring the TV signals to you | designed
the TVs in your house | made the rockets that flew man to the
Moon, launched satellites that keep the world talking and designed
and built the satnav in your car". [Feedback, Vol
3, £3, E&T Magazine]
2.4. Engineering is quite simply all around
us. It is therefore only fitting that the IET is not only the
largest engineering institution in Europe, but we are also one
of the largest of all the professional bodies in the UK. Engineering
is also a broad term that includes many specialist areas. Again
this is reflected in our members, who are drawn not only from
a variety of disciplines, but also all levels of the profession
from Technician to Chartered Engineer. The roles of these engineers
vary depending on their specialisation and level.
2.5. Within the engineering profession,
qualification and more specifically registration, falls into three
categories. These categories represent different levels of responsibility
and roles, but all require very high skills levels and all are
vitally important to engineering.
2.6. Chartered Engineers (CEng) are characterised
by their ability to develop appropriate solutions to engineering
problems, using new or existing technologies, through innovation,
creativity and change. They may develop and apply new technologies,
promote advanced designs and design methods, introduce new and
more efficient production techniques and marketing and construction
concepts, and pioneer new engineering services and management
methods. Chartered engineers are variously engaged in technical
and commercial leadership and possess effective interpersonal
skills
2.7. Incorporated Engineers (IEng) are characterised
by their ability to act as exponents of today's technology through
creativity and innovation. To this end, they maintain and manage
applications of current and developing technology, and may undertake
engineering design, development, manufacture, construction and
operation. Incorporated engineers are engaged in technical and
commercial management and possess effective interpersonal skills.
2.8. Engineering Technician (EngTech). Professional
engineering technicians carry many responsibilities. They contribute
to the design, development, manufacture, commissioning, operation
or maintenance of products and services and are required to apply
safe systems of work. Professional engineering technicians are
involved in applying proven techniques and procedures to the solution
of practical engineering problems and carry supervisory or technical
responsibility.
2.9. If we look at the components of a mobile
phone for example, different specialist engineers are needed to
design and produce the chips, the (colour) LCD screens, the Lithium-ion
battery (Li-ion), the external plastic casing, the wireless communication
systems, the software and operating systems (and all other parts).
Engineers are also responsible for designing the cell network
and infrastructure and the support and maintenance of that network
and infrastructure. In terms of the `levels' of engineers, the
overall project manager is likely to be Chartered, with those
designing individuals components being Chartered or Incorporated,
those managing day to day production are again likely to be Incorporated
and those involved in the operation and maintenance of the plant
and manufacturing processes may be Engineering Technicians.
2.10. Today's technology is so well integrated
with our daily lives that it does not enter our consciousness
as perhaps it used to. There is therefore a key challenge in getting
the excitement and opportunities that engineering has to offer
into the public eye, and we will address these later on in our
evidence. The question of the role of engineers in society could
be viewed more broadly as "what is the role of technology
in UK society".
2.11. The diversity of engineering roles
is reflected in the variety of disciplines in engineering. In
medicine, you would not want an eye surgeon operating on your
heart. Similarly, an engineer specialising in chip design may
understand some of the principles behind bridge building, but
you not want them building bridges. The basic skills may be the
same but the specialisation is extremely important.
2.12. In contrast to this, convergence and
inter-disciplinarity mean engineering projects now often require
far more specialisms. For example, motor vehicle design was once
largely the preserve of mechanical engineers, but now it includes
advanced materials, electronics, software and other disciplines.
This is further complicated by the global nature of engineering,
meaning that the engineers working on a project may not be in
the same country, let alone same building. The IET has recognised
the changing face of the profession and has modified its structure
to better reflect the diversity of technology and the global economy.
2.13. One boost for engineering is the increasingly
positive attitude from Government and Parliament. As a stakeholder,
we no longer feel the need to make the argument that engineering
is important, or that science and technology skills are vital
to the UK's economic future. The debate we are engaged on now
is how to raise the public profile, how to encourage more students
into the profession, and how to ensure we have the right skills
for the future. We also believe the work of the previous Science
and Technology Committee, has been important in turning that corner
and changing the terms of the debate.
2.14. We are not complacent, and accept
more still needs to be done-specifically there is always scope
to be more joined up and effective in our activities. Yet on the
importance of "STEM", for more and more key decision
makers, the question is no longer if or why, but how.
3. The role of engineering and engineers in
UK's innovation drive
The importance of engineering to R&D and the
contribution of R&D to engineering.
3.1. Knowledge transfer has always been
a key part of the IET's mission. We capture and share knowledge
from and through journals, events, lectures, magazines, online
discussions forum, and our own web based streaming service IET.tv.
3.2. Engineering has a key role to play
in innovation, research and development, for the reasons we have
outlined above-it is impossible to decouple engineering from technology.
Not all innovation and R&D has to be about technological advances,
but more and more is focused in these areas-even innovation in
business processes often hinges on the introduction of new technology.
3.3. The right regulatory environment, the
right skills base, the right mechanisms for technology transfer,
and the right public sector research agenda are all critical parts
of the puzzle.
3.4. Getting these critical success factors
correct is all the more important in a global market. With the
changes over the past few years, notably with the creation of
DIUS and increasingly important role for the Technology Strategy
Board, we would like to give the next phases of plans and activities
a chance to work before making any further recommendations.
4. The state of the engineering skills base
in the UK, including the supply of engineers and issues of diversity
(for example, gender and age profile).
4.1. The state of the engineering skills
base is something for which anecdotal evidence abounds, but little
in terms of hard data is available. The output of the education
system, at various levels, shows a significant drop in the numbers
of engineers overall, with certain disciplines being hit very
hard and others showing signs of resurgence. Without demand side
evidence, it could be argued this is a response to a drop in industry
demand, as a clear picture of what industry's requirements has,
in the past, been difficult to obtain.
4.2. It was for this reason that the IET
initiated an annual skills survey in 2006. The 2008 survey will
be published towards the end of April but initial data should
be available earlier-at the Committee's request we would be happy
to present this data ahead of full publication. Our 2008 survey
will be more comprehensive and address some of the limitations
of the previous survey, whilst focusing on the same core questions
to allow comparisons.
4.3. The 2007 data offers a snap-shot overview
of the workforce and looks at recruitment and training needs.
We can make the full survey, which was published in July 2007,
available to the Committee if requested. Key findings however
include:
4.4. Recruitment
- Business expansion remains the top reason
for recruitment across all levels
- 80% said they would be recruiting "experienced
staff", with 76% saying they would be recruiting graduates;
50% said they would not be recruiting school leavers
- 71% said they were experiencing problems
recruiting experienced staff
- Nearly 50% of companies had recruited from
overseas in the past 12 months to cover specific skills shortages
4.5. Skills and Training
- Nearly 90% said they had to provide additional
training for new recruits.
- Leadership skills were seen as most lacking
in experienced staff, with 24% reporting typical recruits did
not meet their expectations.
4.6. Confidence
- Only 56% said they believed they would
be able to recruit enough people into engineering and technical
roles this year (65% in 2006).
- Over 50% said they did not believe they
would be able to recruit the right number of technical and engineering
staff in 4 years time (40% in 2006).
4.7. Gender and Age profile
- On average 8% of the respondents' engineering
& technical workforces are female
- 50% of respondents said the number of female
applicants and new recruits had remained static over the past
four years
- Both the 2006 and 2007 skills surveys show
a workforce age profile that was more balanced than anecdotal
evidence suggested.
[Extracts from the IET 2007 Skills
Survey. Full report available online at:
4.8. The Committee might like to address
why there is an apparent market failure in the supply and demand
for engineers. In strict market conditions, a scarcity of supply
drives up price (or salary in this case), which in turn would
increase supply (by making the roles more appealing). In practice
the fact that it takes up to around 10 years of education, training
and experience to become an engineer may mean that there is not
the elasticity in the market to allow it to function in this way.
However, there remains no clear answer to the question of why
`traditional' market forces appear unable to supply an adequate
number of engineers.
4.9. The image of the engineering (and science
and technology) is one factor that puts people off at a very early
age. Students can rule out engineering as a career as early as
14 years old through GCSE subject choice. Looking at why this
happens is very important and as part of our work supporting a
UK Science Forum working party, the IET commissioned a literature
review on barriers to students continuing with STEM. The report,
published in February 2008, identified five key barriers:
- The need for quality teaching
- Perceived difficulty of STEM subjects
- Problems with transition from primary to
secondary school
- Negative views about STEM and STEM success
- Poor perceptions of opportunities and careers
in STEM
[Extracts from "Studying STEM:
What are the barriers?". Full report is online at:
4.10. An alternative to addressing the issues
of "switch off" is to create new ways to enter engineering
at later career stages, or return to engineering after career
changes or breaks. Whilst the length and depth of the training
required may be one barrier, the creation of new routes into engineering-and
science careers more broadly-could potentially help to fill the
skills gap. A similar approach is currently being implemented
in the teaching profession.
4.11. It should be noted that part time
engineering courses do exist and it is possible to retrain as
an engineer, but these are not common routes into the profession.
Given the demographic shift the UK is likely to experience, encouraging
late entrants into the profession at various levels may become
more and more important in the future.
5. The roles of industry, universities, professional
bodies, Government, unions and others in promoting engineering
skills and the formation and development of careers in engineering.
5.1. We have demonstrated that there is
a skills shortage and a clear need to encourage more entrants
into engineering-at all levels, not just graduates. We also believe
that professional bodies have a central role in encouraging more
entrants into engineering, working alongside a variety of stakeholders.
5.2. Industry, universities, professional
bodies and Government all have a key role to play and all parties
need to work together in a co-ordinated manner. The IET is pleased
to report that we have partnerships and joint activities with
all these partners. The Unions are another important stakeholder
and we are keen to join up more effectively with them in the future.
5.3. There are numerous examples of Industry-Professional
body, University-Industry or Government-University forums and
projects, but there are fewer examples of groups where all five
types of organisations sit together to address key issues.
5.4. We believe that a key role for any
professional body should be to encourage and facilitate cross-sectoral
working. Our membership includes individuals from industry, higher
and further education and Government. We run expert groups drawn
from members from these areas and help external agencies to form
similar project groups. For example we have run a very broad working
party for the Science Forum which brought together a wide range
of stakeholders, including industrial members from beyond engineering,
to tackle key "STEM issues". We see this collaborative
model of working as the only way forward.
5.5. Within our membership a debate has
been started about the role of professional bodies in the 21st
century and the IET firmly believes that acting as a broker between
the various stakeholders is an extension of our 20th century role
and one that we already undertaking. We would welcome the Committee's
views on this area and we are keen to take a lead in this debate
and future work.
5.6. It is important to note that professional
bodies also have a key role in raising and maintaining professional
standards. Whilst not every engineer in the UK will choose to
be registered, more and more engineering courses and almost all
engineering degree courses are accredited by the engineering institutions.
This has a secondary effect of helping safeguard the quality of
engineering education. We encourage practising engineers to work
towards and gain professional registration at an appropriate level
as an internationally valid acknowledgement of their skills, experience
and commitment to professional standards.
5.7. The issues facing the engineering sector
cannot be solved by industry acting in isolation, universities
simply changing their courses, or by Government alone. The Professional
Bodies must take on the mantle and co-ordinate and facilitate
joint activities that will inspire the next generation of engineers
and technologists, raise the status of the profession and help
secure the UK's future prosperity.
March 2008
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