Is There Really Disinterest in Engineering?...
Richard Scott considers whether the surge in popular science shows on television indicates that we're not doing all we can to tap into the interest in engineering.
Last week I attended the press launch of the new E3 Academy which promises to be a great benefit to students wishing to pursue a career in electrical engineering, and will also help those studying the sciences to consider this industry as an option.
The discussion following the presentation focused heavily on how best to improve the image of engineering to students and several people bemoaned the lack of role models from an engineering field. This discussion made me wonder whether a well known figurehead in the industry that younger people can relate to would actually stimulate more interest in the subject, and also whether that additional interest is what is needed. That's already there, isn't it?
I’m sure a person such as David Attenborough will have personally made a considerable contribution to the intakes for archaeology and natural science courses across the country and even globally, but such wonderfully gifted presenters are rare. However, if electrical engineering may struggle to find itself an Attenborough, there are enough popular science programmes out there already sparking people’s interest in the subject and it would be a terrible shame if that interest was left unharnessed.
Switch on Sky at any given time of the day and you are immediately served a diet of mechanical design, civil engineering, factory automation and of course, explosions. Programmes such as Mythbusters, Brainiac and How It’s Made all carry engineering (and much of it electrical engineering) as a central theme and they are hugely popular.
Strip away the occasionally bombastic presenting style and Mythbusters is essentially a programme about physics. It also puts emphasis on the concept of problem solving which is obviously vital when taking skills into industry and one of the presenters, Grant Imahara, studied electrical engineering at the University of Southern California.
The frequency with which these shows are broadcast suggests they bring in quite hefty viewing figures, (OK, I couldn’t find the precise statistics) so it would seem that people are still interested in the mechanics of modern life and get a kick out of learning the influence of science. So how do we tap into that interest and get people into the electrical industry?
Well, I’d be very surprised, and hopefully very rich if I managed to offer up the answer here. But surely there must be ways of schools improving the way science is taught at a relatively early age so that the investigative and practical sides of the subject are fully exposed. Human beings, even teenagers, are naturally inquisitive and the sciences are the natural environment in which that quality can be utilised and nurtured. It is then up to the companies within the industry to engage with students and make them aware of the possibilities that are out there when considering electrical engineering as a career. At the moment those possibilities are many.
Areas such as energy efficiency in which electrical engineering has a massive input need to be promoted at careers fairs to make people aware that this industry is directly involved with some of the crucial problems facing the world today . Once people make that mental link between the title 'electrical engineer' and the wealth of important, interesting challenges they can apply themselves to when qualified then hopefully the process of turning around the skills shortage problem will be much easier.
Enjoy the newsletter,
Richard Scott
Editor