According to a new research carried out by Engineering UK, some 76% of young people aged 11-19 are unaware of what people working in engineering actually do.

The Royal Academy of Engineering urges that engineering careers can have a positive impact on the future society and environment. While 42% of young people think making a difference and having a positive impact on the world is important when choosing a career, almost half had not thought about becoming an engineer.

According to the World Economic Forum, there are many engineering roles that will be crucial in positively protecting the environment. However, the UK has an annual shortfall of up to 59,000 engineers every year, and research shows that the majority of young people ‘probably or definitely’ do not want to become an engineer (52%).

Parents need support in developing a greater understanding of engineering as well; 72% of parents do not know a lot about what people working in the profession do, and yet 63% of 11 – 16-year olds would consider going to their parents for careers advice.

The World Economic Forum has identified a number of jobs that will be in demand in the future and many of these important roles involve engineering:

  1. New Technology Specialists, who will make solar and wind energy more flexible and reliable by advancing energy storage capacity to store vast amounts of energy from renewable sources; to mitigate future energy crises, and move away from carbon-emitting fuels.
  2. Information Security Analysts, who will make cyberspace safer, for example by preventing cyber-attacks or developing blockchain technologies that enable authenticated and transparent digital voting.
  3. Software and Applications Developers and Analysts, who will, for example, enhance virtual reality (VR) for use in healthcare.
  4. Innovation Professionals who will, for example, provide access to clean water in the developing world, and improve water efficiency in developed countries through new strategies for reducing water use.

The Engineering Day is part of the This is Engineering campaign, led by the Royal Academy of Engineering to give more young people, from all backgrounds, the opportunity to take up engineering careers. More information on the campaign can be found at www.ThisisEngineering.org.uk and @ThisisEng on twitter.