Guess how many engineers and scientists we’ll need to remain competitive in the next five years? Some 2.2 million.
How many kids are going into engineering at the moment as a career? More like 125,000.
That sobering statistic is one of the prompts behind ‘The Big Bang Fair,’ a jobs fair that hopes to draw in 30,000 visitors and turn them onto the kind of career path the government says is required to rebalance the economy. It is also tied into National Science and Engineering Week.
The president of Europe’s largest professional engineering group, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Mike Short, said: "Learning skills in science and technology now will help develop skills in engineering and technology for tomorrow and an appetite for new worlds of innovation. Furthermore, the employability prospects in engineering provide a stronger career platform than many other subjects, and take students en route to play their part in this digital century."
By the way, interesting stat for your next STEM dinner party conversation: the engineering sector generates turnover of around £1.1 trillion – around 25% of UK GDP.
