Internet pioneers awarded engineering prize

Lord Browne of Madingley, the Chair of Trustees for the prize, said he hopes the winners' success will spur more young people to consider a career in engineering. "Today is an auspicious day for engineering," he commented. "The first ever winners of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering are being recognised at the highest level for their world changing achievements, and they should be held up as role models for what young people can achieve by being engineers. "Engineering is one of the highest paid professions in the UK but figures show that nine out of ten students give up maths and science at school at the age of 16. This has created a severe shortage of engineers, a problem which a number of global businesses are keen to address." The prize ceremony comes on the same day that a new study undertaken by the Royal Academy of Engineering is published. The Skills for the Nation report shows that the demand for engineers across all sectors of the UK economy exceeds supply. "The Academy's labour market studies show significant demand for graduate engineers, evidenced by employers' readiness to pay salary premiums," said Professor Kel Fidler FREng, co-author of the report. "This, coupled with the capacity available to engage more of our brightest youngsters in high quality well resourced professional engineering institution accredited courses in many of our newer universities augurs well."