The IET brought together its Junior Board and Trustees this week in an inaugural meeting to discuss skill shortages in the sector, and how best to make careers in the industry appeal to the next generation of would-be engineers.
A total of nine children took part in the meeting, ranging from the ages of 12 to 17, all with an interest in STEM subjects.
Some of the ideas discussed included putting courses on for parents to give them more information about available careers 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.
13 year old Daisy Agarwal, who took part in the IET Junior Board, said: "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."
“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 into careers in the sector,” Naomi Climer, IET president, added. “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 This could prove really valuable in challenging outdated perceptions of engineering, and inspiring more children to become engineers in the future.”
