This week Stephen Metcalfe MP pledged his continued support for
engineering in South Basildon and East Thurrock at an event in Parliament
hosted by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET).
Ahead of the forthcoming ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers Week’ (#TEWeek13), the
local MP committed to working with schools and industry in South Basildon and
East Thurrock to encourage more young people, particularly women, to pursue
careers in engineering.
IET President Barry Brooks said: “Engineering underpins our everyday
lives but we are facing a serious skills shortage. We urgently need to
encourage more young people to take the right subjects at school and then
progress into jobs in the engineering sector. I hope that, through the range of
activity taking place for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week, we will be able to show
how diverse, creative and exciting a career in modern engineering can be.”
Speaking at the IET’s Parliamentary event on 22 October, Mr Metcalfe
said: “It will be this next generation of engineers and technicians who help to
solve the challenges that we face in the 21st century such as
devising ways to protect the environment, including suitable sources of energy,
more efficient transport and other infrastructure, all to make for a better
society and a stronger economy.”
“Engineering is part of everyday life and engineers make a world of
difference. Engineers work in jobs as
diverse as designing new hair care products, providing safer drinking water,
designing stage lighting rigs and new mobile phones, and inventing new cars and
space travel. I will be doing all that I can to show young people in my constituency
what a great career engineering could be for them.”
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week takes place from 4th-8th November
2013 and is a collaborative effort between industry and government. The
campaign aims to change outdated perceptions about engineering careers among
young people, their parents and teachers and will demonstrate the relevance of
engineering to young people’s everyday lives.
Mr Metcalfe, who has been an ardent supporter of STEM subjects in South
Basildon and East Thurrock, added: “Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is an important
campaign and I am delighted to support it. There are many engineering employers
within my constituency, including, and I have seen first-hand the contribution
that young engineers are making to those companies and to our local economy.”
According to EngineeringUK, engineering companies will have 2.74 million
job openings between 2010 and 2020 across a diverse range of disciplines.
However far too few school children, particularly girls, are choosing the
GCSEs, A Levels, Apprenticeships, degrees or other vocational pathways that
will lead to engineering careers.
For further information about Tomorrow’s Engineers Week and to find out
how to get involved, visit www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk
