RAE endorses diploma for engineering jobs
The Royal Academy of Engineering has written to The Times to announce its support for a new route for young people to enter engineering professions.
With the UK expecting a shortage of qualified workers for engineering job vacancies in the near future, many in the industry are concerned about meeting their ability to meet their engineering recruitment needs. This concern has become even more pronounced as the Government's plans have been announced, with projects such as high-speed rail or nuclear power creating hundreds of new civil engineering positions - but few increases in the number of engineering graduates.
The RAE believes that the recently introduced vocational diplomas for 14-19 year olds is one way of resolving this problem for the industry. It has written to The Times to address its concerns that the next election may place these diplomas in jeopardy. The full text of the letter is below:
Sir, At a time when the UK needs more young people to opt for a career in engineering, the 14-19 Diploma in Engineering offers a new route into the profession for a much broader section of our school students.
The Diploma in Engineering has strong support from UK industry, academia and the professional engineering community because the students who take it are well equipped to enter industry or universities, who accept it for admission to their engineering courses. Another huge benefit of the qualification is its potential to open up great career opportunities for young people who might not otherwise have a route into the profession.
Despite all these benefits, the next general election could see the end of the new diplomas, which are under fire from political parties because of a perceived lack of academic rigour and take-up.
Through the Education for Engineering Group at the Royal Academy of Engineering, I know that the engineering community has been behind the engineering diploma from its inception because it provides a vocational yet authentic, academically rigorous pathway into engineering.
After just one year, it is plain that the Diploma in Engineering is an emergent success, with 6,500 students currently enrolled. The hands-on, practical applied nature of it, complemented by a top-class mathematics content, make it a highly effective qualification for all levels of the engineering profession and we, the engineering community, want to see it able to roll out and prove its value.
Dick Olver
Chairman, Education for Engineering
Originally printed in the Times, November 7 2009