June 2019

n GAMBICA SUPPLEMENT E ngineering is such an exciting field to work in, but those of us doing it already are scratching our heads as to where all the bright, young prospects are. Why is the queue of apprentices and fledgling career applicants looking to work in our wonderful, innovative companies not out the front door and halfway up the road? STEM experts have been warning of a growing skills shortage for quite a while now. Has it fallen on deaf ears? They continue to highlight issues with the supply of qualified candidates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM roles are predicted to double in the next 10 years and the next generation – the young men and women who will take our businesses to the next level – well, they are pursuing careers in other areas. It’s as simple as that. We have to ask ourselves whether this generation really, truly understands what engineering is, in its fullest sense. Have we packaged it wrong? Are we making it look and sound hard to understand or, worse still, boring? There is so much to be excited about! Let’s put it this way – for every engineering role that’s created, there is a multiplier effect that benefits local suppliers providing related goods and services. Engineering is great for the local economy and no generation has ever been more aware of the environment and the need to support the local community over globalisation. We need to be more in touch with the way young people consume information, and creative in the way we package engineering and communicate it to them. We need to engage. At Routeco, we have been working on new ways to engage by taking high- level subjects (IIoT, Industry 4.0/IR 4.0, Connected Components) and creating practical activities that young engineers can be excited by. Since the changes with year 10 pupils being able to leave school and start pursuing a career, schools, academies, colleges and the new UTCs (University Technical Colleges) are desperate to partner with established companies. There are plenty of opportunities to work directly with young people, from 14 years of age, and to attract them to engineering career paths. The most important job we have is to inspire the next generation of engineers, not to teach them. Visual and practical engagement is the key. We have to think more about how Generation Z engineers, born after 1995, seek and consume information. It We need to be more creative in the way we tackle the skills shortage, argues Darren Spearing, product marketing manager at Routeco. Darren Spearing WHERE IS THE NEXT GENERATION OF BRIGHT, YOUNG ENGINEERS? Simple ◾ Digital configuration ◾ Consistent data quality ◾ Intelligent engineering