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A career in engineering provides endless opportunities. Whether it\u2019s designing parts for Formula 1 cars, or developing the clean energy systems of tomorrow, becoming an engineer means you can do anything and go anywhere.<\/p>\n
And yet, despite offering such enormous potential, engineering \u2013 as a subject and a profession \u2013 is widely misunderstood. Many youngsters think that it involves wearing greasy overalls and fixing things. But it\u2019s so much more than that.<\/p>\n
Fortunately, collaborative efforts to address engineering\u2019s image problem have gained momentum and are starting to make an impact. Primary Engineer, a not-for-profit organisation, has joined forces with major industrial organisations such as Bosch to promote engineering to local schools and colleges across the UK.<\/p>\n
In particular, the Leaders Award competition sees children in primary schools invited to interview an engineer, identify a problem, and come up with a solution. All children receive a certificate, and shortlisted entries are displayed at regional exhibitions and awards presented to the best from each year group.<\/p>\n
Stephanie Alexander, an application engineer at Bosch who works on technology programmes to develop new vans and trucks, recently took part in such a session, talking to more than 1,300 pupils from four schools. She thinks such direct educational outreach is the most effective means of engaging with 5-11-year-old children and changing their perceptions of engineering as a career.<\/p>\n
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\u201cEngineering is exciting, rewarding and creative, but we have to a better job of getting that message across,\u201d says Stephanie. \u201cIt\u2019s also important that we start talking to children at primary age, because as soon as they get a bit older they start to make subject choices which can impact their careers. We need youngsters to make informed choices so that engineering remains a viable option.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Stephanie spent around 15 minutes talking about her role at Bosch, before opening the floor for discussion. That\u2019s where the fun really started, she says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe children came up with some brilliant questions. They asked what device I\u2019d like to invent that could change the world. And they asked how my parents felt about me becoming an engineer. The variety of questions showed just how open-minded children are at that age. They have no fear or embarrassment in front of their peers. That\u2019s another reason to start talking to them when they are young.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The success of the Primary Engineer Leaders Award session has encouraged Stephanie to volunteer for other outreach activities. These include talking to A level students at girls\u2019 schools about the gender imbalance within engineering.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to raise the visibility of women in engineering,\u201d<\/strong> she says. \u201cThe portrayal of engineering on TV \u2013 whether it\u2019s motor-racing or Robot Wars \u2013 is very male dominated. That puts women off. There needs to be more female role models.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A career in engineering provides endless opportunities. Whether it\u2019s designing parts for Formula 1 cars, or developing the clean energy systems of tomorrow, becoming an engineer means you can do…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":5224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,66],"tags":[108],"yoast_head":"\n