Reasons to be cheerful

While we still don't know how the spending review is going to affect us nor what impact Lord Young's review of health and safety laws will have on industry, there seems gradually to be a renewed air of optimism.

The latest CBI monthly Industrial Trends Survey shows an improvement in overall demand for UK-made goods, with expectations for production growth in the coming quarter remaining solid.

There is evidence too of the Government's commitment to manufacturing. As part of its plans to raise awareness in the build-up to the launch of a new manufacturing framework later this year, an exhibition of cutting-edge products has been unveiled at the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, the first in a programme of themed displays to demonstrate excellence in British design, engineering and manufacturing.

Mark Prisk, Business Minister, says: “Britain is a world leader in manufacturing but if we are to inspire future generations, we must do all we can to promote UK excellence.” BIS has redirected savings within the department to strengthen investment in Further Education colleges and to create 50,000 new apprenticeships.

The problem, of course, remains how to get young people interested in engineering in the first place. One wellpublicised initiative - The Bloodhound Project - is an iconic engineering challenge to design and build the first supersonic car capable of achieving 1000mph which will attempt to smash the World Land Speed Record in 2012.
The project aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths (STEM) by showing them how such subjects can be used in an exciting way.

Already more than 1.5 million school children are in the Bloodhound Education Programme and, for those at university, there is the chance to access real life design challenges and test data as the project develops.

In a separate, but equally exciting project, a team of British engineers are attempting to build a motorbike that will break the 400mph barrier and return the land speed record on two wheels to the UK for the first time since 1937. The Angelic Bulldog Project, as it is called, also aims to inspire the next generation of engineers through its educational programmes.

So will these (and many other innovative projects) convince young people of the myriad of opportunities a career in engineering can offer? Although it's too soon to say for sure, the signs are good. The number of students completing A-level maths this year rose by a further 6% following a 12% increase last year and the number taking science A-level rose at a similar rate. Not a major rise, but a step in the right direction.

Jim Wynn, chief education officer at Promethean, interactive education technology partner of the Bloodhound project points out: “In the 1960s, the goal of putting a man on the moon inspired an entire generation to take an interest in STEM.We hope Bloodhound will have the same 'Apollo effect' for this generation.”

Let's all hope so.

Val Kealey
Editor