The second week of next month, 11 to 15 November, will be ‘Tomorrow’s Engineers Week’, the annual awareness-raising week designed to spark enthusiasm and interest in, and engagement with, engineering and technology careers.
The week, now in its twelfth year, is being run by EngineeringUK and will have as its theme ‘Power up your passion’, so emphasising the diverse opportunities within engineering, including within lighting and lighting design.
To coincide with the week, EngineeringUK has highlighted there is still much work to be done to generate engagement with engineering as a career.
Just 16% of girls think engineering is suitable for them, its research has found, and there has been a 34% decline in engineering/manufacturing technologies apprenticeships. Just 18% of first-year engineering and technology undergraduates are women, it has also argued.
Only 43% of young people report taking part in a STEM activity (other than a lesson) at school in the last year. A quarter 26% of students said they had wanted to secure STEM-related work experience but had been unable to do so.
Dr Hilary Leevers, chief executive of EngineeringUK, said: ‘As we celebrate another year of this vital initiative, we want to see students explore how their unique talents can shape the future of engineering and technology. This week is all about empowering the next generation and demonstrating the incredible possibilities in their futures.’
Details on the week can be found at: https://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/tomorrow-s-engineers-week/
One of the key strands of the ILP’s Strategy 2026 is to reimagine and rethink pathways into lighting, including working closely with the Baker Dearing Educational Trust and its network of University Technical Colleges.
Reform of apprenticeships
Separately, the government has given some initial indications of how it intends to shake up apprenticeships and vocational training.
The Department for Education has said it intends to replace the existing apprenticeship levy with a new ‘growth and skills’ levy and introduce ‘foundation’ apprenticeships.
The new levy will allow funding for shorter apprenticeships, so giving learners and employers greater flexibility over their training than under the existing system – where apprenticeships had to run for at least 12 months, the government said.
Employers are also being asked to ‘rebalance’ their funding for apprenticeships, with more funding under the levy going to younger workers and less via the levy to higher-level Level 7 apprenticeships, or equivalent to a master’s degree.
A report from Skills England also found that employer investment in training has been in steady decline over the past decade, with training expenditure at its lowest level since records began in 2011, with investment per employee down by 19% in real terms.
The DfE has said it will set out further details on ‘the scope of the offer’ and how it will be accessed in due course.
While health and social care continue to experience the greatest demand and skills gaps, education, manufacturing, and science and technology are also struggling, the DfE said.
