EAL is this week teaming up with government and hundreds of industry partners to launch the Year of Engineering – a national campaign to inspire the next generation of engineers and widen the pool of young people who join the profession.
Throughout 2018, young people and their parents will have the chance to take a closer look at engineering, with thousands of inspiring experiences of engineering on offer throughout the country.
EAL Managing Director Alison Parkes said:-
"As the leading industry-backed awarding organisation for engineering, we at EAL are proud of our role in providing the skills the sector needs.
"We strongly support the Year of Engineering – encouraging more young people to think about what a career in engineering could offer them is crucial if we're going to build the pipeline of talent the sector needs."
Through bringing young people face to face with engineering role models and achievements, the campaign will showcase the creativity, variety and innovation of the profession.
It will also highlight the opportunities and benefits of engineering careers for all young people – regardless of their gender, ethnicity or social background.
EAL will be supporting the Year of Engineering in a number of ways, including through strong promotion via its social media channels and through encouraging its network of centres across the country to sign up to the campaign.
The Industry Apprentice Council, which EAL supports is also backing the campaign. The 42 members, made up of apprentices from across the advanced engineering and manufacturing sector, will be actively promoting the campaign with regular guest blogs on EAL's website as well as outreach role model activity with local schools and colleges. (Read our first IAC guest blog from BAE Systems Apprentice Ryan Carey).
Alison Parkes added:-
"It's going to be so important to ensure that the world of education and training is fully behind the Year of Engineering if we're going to make it the success it needs to be.
"I would encourage all EAL centres to take a look at the resources on offer online and think about how they can get involved in the campaign – from hosting careers events to inviting former students and apprentices back to talk about their experiences, there are lots of ways for you to play your part."
With the Year of Engineering officially underway, engineers and organisations across the country are marking the launch by celebrating the positive impact of engineering – from paving the way for medical breakthroughs or making a much-loved hobby possible for someone with a disability, to bringing music, film and theatre to life.
During launch week, parents are also being encouraged to find out more about how they can get involved by visiting the Year of Engineering website, which includes details of engineering activities and events taking place throughout 2018.
To find out more about the Year of Engineering, visit the website or follow the campaign on Twitter.
