To mark UK Science Week, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has today published QEPrize’s Create the Future Report which reveals 16-17 year olds are most interested in technology out of all the STEM subjects. They carried out a survey of ten of the world’s largest economies and the research shows UK teenagers’ interest in technology (85%) outstrips the global average of 81%. However, while 82% of UK teenagers saw engineering as integral to technological innovations, only 21% said they were interested in engineering as a career.
New Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering research: UK teenagers love technology but are not making the link with engineering
• 4 in 5 UK 16-17 year olds are interested in technology and see engineering as integral to technological innovation
• 16-17 year olds would be inspired to pursue an engineering career to solve world’s problems
London, UK. To mark UK Science Week, the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering has today published new research showing 16-17 year olds are most interested in technology out of all the STEM subjects.
The QEPrize’s Create the Future Report, a survey of ten of the world’s largest economies, shows UK teenagers’ interest in technology (85%) outstrips the global average of 81%.
However, while 82% of UK teenagers saw engineering as integral to technological innovations, only 21% said they were interested in engineering as a career.
The report reveals a complex picture of young people’s attitudes to engineering, their desire for it to effect change and their chances to break into the profession.
• Across STEM subjects, the UK teenagers’ interest outstrips that of young people in Germany, Japan and South Korea; however, specific interest in engineering fell below all the other countries surveyed
• When UK teenagers were asked what would inspire them to become an engineer the highest motivator (36%) was the opportunity to create new innovations, have an impact on society and make a difference to the world - they ranked these benefits above career opportunity, income and security and respectability
• 72% of young people believe climate change and depleting energy resources (73%) are major concerns for the future, with half feeling optimistic that engineering can address these issues in the next 20 years
• However around 30% of potential engineers were put off the career as they felt an engineering degree was too hard, too expensive and that they lacked adequate funding for training
Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, the newly appointed chairman of the QEPrize judging panel and vice-chancellor of the University of Southampton said:
“We need to do more to educate people on the role engineering plays in technology and help young people understand that technology is a product of engineering. The challenge facing the engineering community is to shift the love of tech to a love of engineering. There is no silver bullet solution to this issue, but if we work together as parents, teachers, companies, institutions and even governments, then we will see a change in attitudes and debunk the myths surrounding our profession.”
Lord Browne of Madingley, Chairman of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering Foundation said:
“Engineering is an exciting career offering endless opportunities to create the next technological innovation and tackle the biggest issues facing the world. Sadly, it suffers from an image problem in the UK that must be reversed if we are going to attract the next generation into the field. The QEPrize celebrates the outstanding engineers and the world-changing innovations they create to capture the public imagination and reconnect people to the critical impact the profession has on society. ”
About The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering
The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering is a global £1 million prize that celebrates the engineers responsible for a ground-breaking innovation that has been of global benefit to humanity. The objective of the QEPrize is to raise the public profile of engineering and to inspire young people to become engineers.
www.qeprize.org
About the Create the Future report
The Create the Future survey, examining public attitudes to engineering involved over 10,000 people from 10 countries: Brazil, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, United Kingdom, and United States of America. The full report can be downloaded via: www.qeprize.org/report
About the 2015 Winner of the QEPrize, Dr Robert Langer
Dr Robert Langer was announced the winner of the 2015 QEPrize in February 2015 at the Royal Academy of Engineering. Dr Langer is a leading bioengineer and entrepreneur. He is one of 11 Institute Professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the highest honour that can be awarded to a faculty member. Prior to this role, he was the Germeshausen Professor of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering. Langer is an internationally acclaimed inventor and engineer, with over 2000 patents and published articles. His research focuses on the field of bioengineering. He was one of the first chemical engineers to work in the surgical sector, becoming a pioneer in drug delivery, tissue engineering, and nanotechnology. Langer's research laboratory at MIT is the largest academic biomedical engineering lab in the world, maintaining over $15 million in annual grants and over 100 researchers. Langer is also currently on the board of directors at Bind Therapeutics and Advanced Cell Technology.
Contributors to the Create the Future Report said:
Bob Dudley, Group CEO, BP, said:
‘Engineers have played a central role in creating today’s advanced technological society. Many challenges have been overcome – but as soon as one problem is solved, another comes along, even more demanding. So we should ensure young people understand the opportunity and shape the future.’
Erik Bonino, Chairman, Shell UK, said:
“Engineers have revolutionized our world, they have transformed communications and sent mankind to the depths of the oceans and into space. Engineers are also the lifeblood of our company. Their ingenuity and innovation enables us to undertake incredibly complex projects across the world. One of the biggest challenges, for both society and companies like Shell, is how to provide much more energy and much less CO2. Solving challenges like this relies on the talent and skills of engineers. Shell is proud to be a co-founder of The Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and its work to inspire the next generation of engineers.”
Dr Ralf Speth, CEO Jaguar Land Rover, said:
"Engineers are vital for prosperous and healthy societies around the world. Their technical innovations can solve the most complex of challenges and achieve what, just a few years ago, we believed was impossible. Advanced manufacturing could not keep progressing without collaboration with the constantly enquiring minds of engineers which push us to innovate faster, developing better technical solutions. We continue to engage young people in engineering at all levels of education, from science taught in primary schools to cutting-edge university research."
Helge Lund, Chief Executive, BG Group, said:
‘Engineers will build our future. This report recognises the great contribution engineering can play in solving some of the world’s biggest issues.’
Steve Holliday, Chief Executive, National Grid, said:
‘I firmly believe that our continued success as a company – and as a society – depends on the bright, inquisitive minds of the engineers, scientists and technicians of tomorrow.’
Nigel Whitehead, Group Managing Director, BAE Systems, said:
‘Our sector needs to work together to overcome some of the outdated stereotypes and old-fashioned notions that engineering isn’t a career suitable for women. We must do more to show all young people, and their parents, that engineering is a great career choice and be bolder about the importance of STEM subjects.’
Professor Juergen Maier, Chief Executive, Siemens Plc, said:
‘To see people’s faith in innovation and engineering as the future number one driver to solving the world’s problems is inspiring and also challenging. It lays down the gauntlet to us as leaders in the engineering industry to make this happen.’
Professor Choon Fong Shih, University Professor, National University of Singapore, Singapore, said:
‘The report shows that the optimism people feel for the ability to drive innovation is not limited to any single economy. Across each of the ten markets people are looking to engineering to solve the world’s problems.’
Dr Robert Langer, Winner of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering and the David H. Koch Institute Professor at MIT, USA, said:
‘I think engineering is such a wonderful way to contribute to society. We’ve witnessed hundreds of students and fellows who have trained in our lab get great jobs at universities where they train future engineers or get jobs in industry where they use their engineering training to improve the world. I think the people who come to our lab do so, because they share the same mission I do - which is to create engineering principles that can make the world a better place.’
Professor Dame Ann Dowling DBE, President, Royal Academy of Engineering, UK, said:
‘Challenging perceptions that limit new entrants into engineering studies or the profession has long been an imperative for engineers and it is encouraging to see responses in the first QEPrize Create the Future Report that indicate a positive understanding of engineering and its potential.’
Professor Reinhard Huettl, President of Acatech (National Academy of Science and Engineering), Germany, said:
‘Young people in Germany and worldwide expect that engineering will focus on solving the world’s problems. They are increasingly interested in contributing to society.’
Professor Frances Arnold, Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering and Biochemistry, Caltech, said:
‘Sustainable energy technology is the basis of a sustainable society. Meeting growing needs and expectations will require real engineering creativity.’
Professor John Hennessy, President, Stanford University, USA, said:
‘The use of information technology for education has recently received great attention, and it is increasingly clear that online education can play a transformative role particularly in the developing world where educational institutions cannot meet the demand.’
Paul Westbury CBE, Group Technical Director, Laing O’Rourke, UK, said:
‘To attract and retain the best and most diverse global talent, our profession must stand on its own two feet and continue to ignite imagination, showcase innovation, and shout about the positive impact that engineering has, and must have, on the world around us.’
Narayana Murthy, Founder, Infosys, India, said:
‘Globalisation is changing things. While much of the developed world continues to experience moderate interest in engineering careers, emerging economies are providing a new breeding ground for engineers.’
Professor Viola Vogel, Head of the Laboratory of Applied Mechanobiology, ETH Zurich, Switzerland, said:
‘Emerging economies (India, Turkey, China, and Brazil) have narrower gender gaps regarding the overall interest in engineering than the leading economies of the world.’
Professor Lynn Gladden, Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Cambridge, UK, said:
‘There is a huge opportunity to re-energise the current generation of young people in our schools, so that they see and relate to the excitement and opportunities which a career in engineering can bring.’
Professor Hiroshi Komiyama, President, Engineering Academy, Japan, said:
‘In Japan, young generations recognize the value of engineering in contributing to society. This recognition is important in our effort to promote the understanding of engineering widely, and it is seen as a hope for the future development of human resources.’
Professor Sir Christopher Snowden, Vice-Chancellor, University of Southampton, UK, said:
‘The UK could take steps to improving its ranking in the index by investing further in engineering education and training and creating visible opportunities for engineering careers. This would certainly require increasing the awareness of engineering and careers in schools and colleges and continuing to win the support of business and industry to promote engineering.’
Dr Dan Mote, President, National Academy of Engineering, USA, said:
‘The Create the Future Report shows how important it is to highlight the tremendous opportunities existing in engineering careers to attract the next generation.’
16 March 2016
