A group of school children have been invited by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), to join its new Junior Board to tackle the sector’s skills shortage.
The IET brought together its Junior Board and Trustees this week in an inaugural meeting to discuss how to appeal to young people – the next generation of would-be engineers.
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Naomi Climer, IET President, commented: “As an engineering institution with 145 years of history under its belt, we’ve taken a landmark step in establishing a Junior Board for young people to come together with experienced members of our Board of Trustees. Our industry continues to suffer from skill shortages, so it’s vital that we do as much as possible to inspire the young people of today – the next generation of would-be engineers – into careers in the sector.
“By listening to, and taking on board, young people’s ideas for modernisation and progression within the sector, we’re opening ourselves up to new approaches in the way we present engineering careers to the next generation and their parents. This could prove really valuable in challenging outdated perceptions of engineering, and inspiring more children to become engineers in the future.”
A total of nine children took part in the meeting, ranging from the ages of 12 to 17, all with a passionate interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Each child brought a selection of ideas with them to open up the discussion to fresh, critical thinking, and a modern outlook.
Some of the ideas discussed included putting courses on for parents to give them more information about the exciting careers available in the industry for their children, teaching young people about historic female engineers as well as their male counterparts, and the need to position the industry as ‘cool’ in the media in order to encourage children to engage with it.
The IET Junior Board meeting took place at the IET’s iconic Savoy Place headquarters in London, to encourage fresh thinking from young STEM enthusiasts to help modernise and transform the industry and sustain its economic prospects.
Daisy Agarwal, 13, who took part in the IET Junior Board, said: “It was a really calm and easy environment to be in, everyone was really welcoming. It was great that our ideas were taken on-board and it was interesting to see what the engineers do in their jobs too. It would be great to see our ideas put into practice to help encourage more people my age into engineering.”
