Issue: 57 February 2013

Editor: SueBroughe: sbrough@engc.org.uk

Inside this issue...

Welcome

Registrant numbers level

Welcome to the first issue of Register News for

2013, and congratulations to the spectrum of
engineers who were recognised in the New Year
HonourslistinJanuary.Itisalwaysgoodtosee
engineers and engineering being recognised for
the contribution that we make to meeting societys
needs; and we are looking forward to hearing of
further success through other awards, notably the
Queen Elizabeth Prize for innovation on 18 March
and the Baroness Platt award for Incorporated
Engineerslaterintheyear.

Guide to professional registration

Promoting technician registration
New award for Incorporated Engineers
eBook Trilogy
Sweet 16 for mycareerpath
Presidents reception
Foundations for action in 2013
Employer benefit of accredited degrees
Licence renewals
New Year Honours
Richard Review welcomed
ENAEE conference paper
Employer ownership fund
International news section
News from EngineeringUK
New Chief Executive for IOA
SocEnv appoints first President
Partnership grants scheme for schools
Inspiring the next generation
Positive UCAS figures for engineering
NAS launches new film
Climate Week

For us 2013 is a year in which we will be looking to

promote the value of membership and registration
to employers across all levels of registration, whilst internally focusing on
developing as a centre of excellence for regulatory activity. Additionally, this
summer we will also be commencing our five yearly review of UK-SPEC to
ensure that it remains as relevant to engineering over the next few years
asithasbeenforthepastdecade.
It is hard to believe that it has now been ten years since the Engineering
CouncilandEngineeringUKbecametwoseparateorganisations.Theway
that we all now work together is a credit to helmsmen (Sir Colin Terry, Prof
Kel Fidler and Andrew Ramsay) who have steered us through some choppy
watersalongtheway.Oneofthebestexamplesofprogressmadebythe
profession has been the forming of the Professional Engineering Forum,
which allows each organisation to utilise its own strengths, whilst focussing
onthecommongoodwithinatrustingandsupportiveculture.The
professions success in this respect was even commended last summer by
the Business and Industry Select Committee, and we look forward to
continuing the trend of collaboration and cooperation wherever and
whenever possible.
Last, but certainly not least, I am pleased to be able to announce below
thatforthefirsttimeinmanyyearsthenumberofindividualsachieving
professionalregistrationduring2012equalledthenumberleavingthe
register.
I look forward to a busy year, and wish you all the best with your own
ventures.
Jon Prichard CEng FICE FInstRE
CEO

Registrant numbers level

The Engineering Councils annual statistics report shows that the downward trend in the total number of registered
engineersandtechnicians,observedoverthepastfewyears,levelledoutin2012.Overthepastfiveyearstherehas
been a year on year increase in the numbers coming forward for registration, whilst last year the numbers lapsing their
registrationalsodecreased.
The largest growth in new registrants in the 12 month period was seen at technician level, where there was a 21.5%
increaseinthenumberofnewEngineeringTechnicians(EngTechs)comparedto2011.Infact,overthepastfiveyears
new EngTech registrations have increased by 132.3% which is pleasing for the Professional Engineering Institutions
(PEIs)thathavebeenpromotingtechnicianregistration.NewIncorporatedEngineer(IEng)andCharteredEngineer
(CEng) registrations also show a steady rise.
The report also reveals that 39.88% of registrants are currently aged 60 and over, which could lead to a future shortage
of engineers with the competence and commitment necessary to meet societysneeds.Therefore,whilstthe
Engineering Council welcomes these figures, we must continue to focus on increasing the supply by growing the pipeline
of potential engineers and technicians, whilst ensuring that they commit to professional development and subsequently
progresstoprofessionalmembershipwithanappropriateinstitution.Atthesametime,weneedtopayequalattention
to the retention of the existing cohort of registered members.
The report is available to Extranet users here.

Guide to professional registration

The Engineering Council has recently published a hard copy Pocket Guide to Professional Registration for
Engineers and Technicians 2013.The guide has been developed for use by all those working within the
professional engineering community and aims to provide key information about registration and institution
membership as well as explaining the relationship between the many organisations working within this
community.
Anonline,downloadableversionwillbeavailableontheExtranetsoon.
Hard copies can be obtained by emailing info@engc.org.uk

Promoting technician registration

TRaM project update
Further to the update in the last issue of Register News, Phase 1 of the Technician Registration and Membership (TRaM)
Project has recently seen the launch of an online survey aimed at engineering technicians and individuals taking
vocationalengineeringqualifications.Thissurveyfollowsthetwosignificantpiecesofworktheprojecthascompletedto
date:
l

A review and analysis of prior research, recent workshop outputs and interviews with steering team members on
attitudes towards technician registration.
Interviews with 35 technicians and 15 employers across a range of sectors which employ engineering technicians.
The findings from these technician interviews have been used to develop the questions included in the online
survey, the results of which will be available in March.

The results of the interviews are now being developed into a suite of proposed recommendations for TRaM Phase 2.
Thesewillbefurtherdevelopedandadjustedwhentheresultsoftheonlinesurveyareavailable.Theywillthenbe
submitted to the Gatsby Foundation to agree how we jointly progress this initiative. The recommendations will be
divided into actions which would most effectively be delivered a) by PEIs themselves (either individually or jointly) b) by
the Engineering Council or c) by the Technician Council.
One recommendation the Engineering Council is keen to take forward is an upgrade of the Database of Technician
Qualificationsonitswebsite.Theupgradewouldenableittoprovideclearandtransparentinformationtoexternal
enquirers and employers on all approved qualifications and apprenticeships that may lead to registration at EngTech
and IEng levels, whilst providing a more user friendly interface for PEIs submitting information to it.
Invitation to take part in the survey
If you are a technician and fit one of the categories described below, we would be grateful for your assistance in
completing the survey by Friday 1 March:
l

Anyone currently working towards vocationalengineering or engineering related qualifications at or above QCF
Level 3 (6 in Scotland) (e.g an NVQ Level 3) or doing an advanced or higher engineering apprenticeship.
Anyone currently working in a technician (practical) role in any branch of engineering.

If you teach, provide training for, or employ people in these categories, then please do draw their attention to and
encourage them to participate in the survey.
To take part in the survey please click here.
For technical help with the survey or questions please contact: EngineeringCouncilSurvey@watermelonresearch.com

TechnicianCouncil
The Technician Council has commenced its second phase, holding an initial meeting at the end
of January, under the chairmanship of Dr Graham Spittle CBE. Its focus is to look at ways that
we can meet the need for an additional 450,000 SET technicians by 2020 and to raise the
overall capability of the UK technician workforce. It will raise the profile and status of
technicians working in the science, engineering and technology sectors, and thereby increase
the number of people registering, or choosing career paths which will lead to becoming
registered technicians.
To achieve this, the support of a number of groups will be key. Professional institutions across
SET are central to the promotion of professional registration and need to ensure that their
offering is tailored to the needs of todays technicians. Sector skills councils and learning providers will need to ensure
that future generations are aware of the benefits of technician registration. It is also essential that employers are
persuaded of the value of technician registration and encourage both their existing and future employees to become
professionally registered.
The Technician Council aims to provide a co-ordination role for the different groups, and to ensure that the technician
agenda is promoted and supported. The representatives on the Technician Council are from a broad spectrum, including
employers, PEIs, sector regulators and sector skills councils. In addition, the Technician Council will work alongside other
activities such as project TRaM to ensure consistency of standards and outputs across different SET sectors.


James Bristow has recently been appointed as Programme Manager/Secretary to the Technician Council and will work
closely with both the Engineering Council and the Science Council. He joined the Technician Council from The Royal British
Legion where he has spent the last four years supporting the Director General and managing corporate projects and
programmes. Prior to this James worked in a range of commercial project management roles, assisting councils and
committees in bringing together a large number of stakeholders; skills which will be put to good use in his new role.
If you would like to contact the Technician Council please contact James on jbristow@professional-technician.org.uk or
by phone on 07711 002608.

Collaboration promotes technician registration

The UKs three largest PEIs have formed a partnership to significantly increase the Engineering Technician (EngTech)
population.SupportedbyfundingfromtheGatsbyCharitableFoundation,ICE,IMechEandIETwillpromotetechnician
membershipandEngineeringCouncilregistrationtothosebothcurrentlyintrainingandalreadyemployed.
ThisisthefirsttimethatthethreelargestPEIshaveworkedtogetheronamembershipprogrammeofthisscale.The
key aims are to achieve 100,000 registered EngTechs by 2018, and to establish a valued membership product so that
technician registration and membership becomes the norm for those entering the profession.
The Engineering Council is pleased to see the three PEIs working together on such an important initiative and fully
supportstheirendeavoursinthisproject.TechniciansarevitallyimportanttotheUKandoureconomyandprofessional
registration is an excellent way of recognising an individuals achievement and their ongoing commitment to career
development. They have the knowledge and expertise the country needs to deliver 21st Century services, systems and
products.
Recruitment of the programme team started in January. Once in place, this team will develop a programme that
promotes the benefits of membership and registration to current apprentices and students at Further Education
colleges, and to time-servedtechniciansintheworkplace,currentlyemployedbylargeandsmallorganisationsalike.
While the project team mobilises each institution will continue promoting EngTech to its own industry audiences.

New award for Incorporated Engineers

The Engineering Council is pleased to announce the launch of a new award by the Worshipful
Company of Engineers, a Livery Company of the City of London, for the most outstanding
individualregisteredasanIncorporatedEngineer(IEng)eachyear.Theprestigiousawardis
named after Baroness Platt of Writtle CBE FREng, in recognition of her work in support of the
engineeringprofessioningeneralandIncorporatedEngineersinparticular.Consistingofaprizeof1000, a medal and
certificate, the Baroness Platt Award will be formally presented at a dinner in the City of London in July 2013 by the
Worshipful Company of Engineers.
Nominations are currently invited from Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs) for individuals who were registered
as IEng during 2012. Nominees should, in the view of the PEI, have displayed outstanding commitment to the
engineering profession, have excellent written and oral communication skills and have demonstrated the qualities
required to manage teams of engineers.
TheEngineeringCouncilisdelightedthatBaronessPlatthasagreedtosupporttherecognitionofnewlyregistered
IncorporatedEngineersthroughthisaward.Wearesurethattheawardwillassistwithhighlightingtheessential
contribution that Incorporated Engineers make to all sectors of the engineering profession.
Each PEI is invited to nominate up to five candidates. The deadline for nominations is 31 March 2013 and shortlisted
candidateswillbeinvitedforinterviewinlateApril/earlyMay.Furtherdetailscanbefoundhere.
Originally, an award was established to recognise engineering excellence amongst those studying to become
Incorporated Engineers. From 2013, it is being made to an individual who has already achieved registration as IEng.
If you registered as IEng during 2012 and would like to be put forward for this award, please contact your institution.

eBook Trilogy
The launch of a CEng eBook, now available on the Engineering Councils website, marks the
completion of the organisations guide to professional registrationeBooktrilogy.Thisfollowsthe
successfulintroductionofEngTechandIEngeBooksduring2012.AllthreeeBooksareeasytoread
on mobile devices or online and provide a cost effective, complete guide for anyone interested in
learningmoreaboutprofessionalregistrationataparticularlevel.TheinformativenewCEngeBook
is available to download for free from the Engineering Councils website, at:
www.engc.org.uk/ebook-ceng
ThelatesteBookhasbeendevelopedtoassistinraisingawarenessandunderstandingofthevalue
ofCEngregistration.Itexplainsinaclearandconcisemannerthebenefits,whyeligibleindividualsshouldaimto
become CEng registered and how to go about it. Four existing Chartered Engineers explain, through case studies, how
professionalregistrationhashelpedtheircareersandothersprovidetestimonials.ThereisalsoapageansweringFAQs
and a list of useful weblinks.
Click heretodownloadtheEngTecheBook
Click here to download the IEng eBook
Click here to download the CEng eBook

Sweet 16 for mycareerpath

The Institution of Engineering Designers (IED) has recently become the 16th institution to start using the Engineering
Councils mycareerpathProfessional Development (PD) System, and is launching it to members this month.
mycareerpathisanonlinetoolallowingindividualstoplanandrecordprofessionaldevelopmentactivity.The
underpinning framework that the tool uses has been aligned with the UK Standard for Professional Engineering
Competence (UK-SPEC) and, as such, provides an ideal tool for individuals working towards registration as EngTech,
IEng or CEng.
It can be individually tailored to include institution branding, house styles and competence profiles, so is equally useful
for monitoring progress towards institution membership grades.
Libby Brodhurst, Chief Executive of the IED says: We are delighted to introduce the mycareerpath scheme to our
members.ThesystemprovidesstructuredlearningforthevariousgradesofIEDmembership,EngineeringCouncil
registrationandCharteredEnvironmentalistcompetencies.Thesystemallowsformentoring,reviewofPDplansand
actions,andmonitoring,whichtogetheramounttoastructuredpathwaytoprofessionaldevelopment.Wewillbe
automatically enrolling all new members on to the scheme and encouraging all existing members to take full advantage
of the benefits offered.
Launched in 2010, mycareerpath (formerly called MyPath) is a bespoke PD tool, managed by the Engineering Council on
behalfofthePEIs.Itisregularlyupdated,withnewfunctionalityaddedasrequiredbyuserinstitutions,whichensures
thatitoffersahighlyrelevantandusefulproducttotheirmembers.
For more information on mycareerpath, please email mycareerpath@engc.org.uk

Presidents reception
In December the Engineering Councils Board of Trustees hosted an evening drinks reception at
the Royal Academy of Engineerings offices in Prince Philip House, which brought together the
Presidents of all PEIs, with the Chairmen of EngineeringUK and the Royal Academy, for the first
time under the EngC banner.
Attendees were invited to discuss the engineering profession and the important roles played
bytheirorganisationswithinit.InashortaddressbytheEngineeringCouncils Chairman, Rear
Admiral Nigel Guild, the PEIs were described as the engine of the profession, delivering
professional development, and with the membership and resources to make things happen,
whilst the Engineering Council, EngineeringUK and the Royal Academy perform central tasks on
behalf of the institutions, where the economy of scale and unity of purpose are valuable to all
the PEIs.
Admiral Guild invited the Presidents to become more directly involved in the work of the
Engineering Council and its Board to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of society through self-regulation of the
profession.

Foundations for action in 2013

Marking the tenth anniversary since the 2002 reorganisation that created EngineeringUK and a more focused
Engineering Council, CEOs from PEIs across engineering met as the newly formed Professional Engineering Forum (PEF),
forthefirsttimeon30November.Themeetingprovidedanopportunitytolaytheframeworkforcollaborativeactionat
a national level on issues that matter most to the engineering sector.
Nigel Fine, Chief Executive of the IET and Chair of the Plenary Forum, said: The first Plenary Conference was a great
success and helped to establish the groundwork for 2013. Going forward, the Professional Engineering Forum will give
all PEIs the opportunity to engage in and benefit from closer collaboration. The Forum will focus on the values and vision
shared across the engineering community and will work together in partnership to make real impact on matters affecting
us all. The annual conference will give all PEIs the opportunity to set the agenda for engineering.
Skills Minister Matthew Hancock MP gave a short address highlighting the importance of engineering skills to the UK
economy, and followed this by cutting the tenth anniversary cake.
The new Forum comprises all of the PEIs together with the Engineering Council, EngineeringUK and the Royal Academy
of Engineering. It provides a structure for discussion and agreement on issues of mutual interest and acts as the voice
of the profession to Government on joined up messages that cut across all engineering disciplines.
The PEF replaces the CEO level meetings of E4E and Engineering the Future, as well as the Professional Panel.
For further information please click here.

Left to Right: Jon Prichard, Engineering Council;

Matthew Hancock MP; Paul Jackson, EngineeringUK

Employer benefit of accredited degrees

Many employers are aware of the benefits of recruiting graduates from programmes that have been accredited by the
PEIs.Infact,anumberofthemactivelyparticipateintheaccreditationprocessinordertoensurethattheprogrammes
meet the underpinning educational needs required for graduates entering a diverse spectrum of employment.
Accreditation provides assurance that a university has the necessary resources to deliver an appropriate programme of
learning that will equip todays graduates not only to perform the essential tasks in the early years of their career, but
also continue to be able to make a valuable contribution throughout their later career.
AsubgroupoftheProfessionalEngineeringForum(seeabove)isconsideringhowtoraiseawarenessand
understandingofthebenefitsofacademicaccreditation.Inadditiontocreatingpromotionalmaterialsthegroupis
workingwithemployerstodevelopabankoftestimonialsthatsupportthevalueofaccrediteddegreestatus.
The Engineering Council would like to hear from any employers who already have experience of recruiting graduates
fromaccrediteddegreesandwouldbehappytoprovideashorttestimonialforourwebsite.Ifyoucanhelp,please
contact Deborah Seddon at dseddon@engc.org.uk.
For more information on accreditation of courses please click here.

Licence renewals
Five year licences for EngTech, IEng and CEng were renewed for the following PEIs at the January meeting of the
Engineering Councils QAC:
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l
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British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT)

Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM)
SocietyofOperationsEngineers(SOE)

The licensing process for PEIs and approval process for Professional Affiliates was outlined in issue 55 of Register News,
and is contained in the Licensing Manual on the Engineering Council Extranet.
For further information please contact Brian Cameron on bcameron@engc.ork.ukorMarieWallaceon
mwallace@engc.org.uk

New Year Honours

We would like to congratulate the following Incorporated and Chartered Engineers, who have been recognised in the
New Year Honours list:
Order of the Bath
KCB:
Vice Admiral Sir Andrew David Hugh Mathews KCB CEng FIMechE
CB:
Dr Michael William Weightman CB CEng MIMMM
for services to the improvement of Nuclear Safety
Order of the British Empire
CBE:
Prof Brian Cantor CBE FREng CEng FIMMM
for services to Higher Education
Dr Douglas Cleevely CBE CEng FIET
for services to Technology and Innovation
Mr Malcolm John Charles Harbour CBE CEng MIMechE MEP
for services to the UK economy
Mr Richard Jonathan Parker CBE FREng CEng FIMechE
for services to Engineering
Mr Michael Terrett CBE CEng MIMechE
for services to UK Engineering
Mr Paul Stephen Westbury CBE CEng FIStructE
for services to Engineering and Construction
OBE:
Mrs Wendy Suzanne Blundell OBE CEng FICE MIStructE
for services to the Construction Industry in Northern Ireland
Mr Ian Miles Comerford OBE IEng MIET
Mr Jeffrey Larkin OBE CEng MIET
Prof Alan Richard Woodside OBE CEng FICE MCIHT
for services to Higher Education and Highway Engineering in Northern Ireland
MBE:
Mr Richard Labrador MBE IEng FIET
for services to Health and Safety in Gibraltar

We would also like to congratulate Jeremy Buckle, EngineeringUKs Event Director - Big Bang
Education CIC, on being awarded the MEB for services to the promotion of Science and
Engineering.

Richard Review welcomed

The Engineering Council welcomes the Richard Review of Apprenticeships, a timely and important consideration of what
apprenticeshipsshouldlooklike.IssuedinNovember,thereportbyDougRichardrecommendsthatthefocusof
apprenticeships should be on outcomes, with one qualification for each occupation category, and highlights the
importance of linking high quality apprenticeships to professional registration.
Of particular interest to the Engineering Council is Doug Richards belief that, for each category of occupation, there
should be a standard that clearly describes the level of skill and competency required to do the job well and to operate
confidently in the sector, and that this standard should form the basis of qualification that affirms an individuals
competencyinagivenjob,havingcompletedanapprenticeship.Herecommendsthatthebasisforfuture
apprenticeship qualifications should be recognised industry standards, and that the qualifications are linked to the
standardsforprofessionalregistrationwheretheseexist.
Thisisgoodnewsfortheengineeringsector,whichhasalwayssupportedandprovidedhighqualityapprenticeships.It
offers a key opportunity for the already well-established UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UKSPEC) to be used to underpin the new apprenticeships, enabling a professional engineering competence approach to be
embeddedwithineachengineeringapprenticeshipqualification.UK-SPEC was produced in 2003 with the strong
involvement of both employers and academics and has quickly gained widespread support across the engineering
sector.
Engineering apprentices would therefore be able to obtain an appropriate education at the same time as developing
knowledgeandcompetenceintheworkplace,leadingtoprofessionalregistrationasanEngTechorIEng.Atthesame
time, employers would see the high quality, challenging and stretching apprenticeships they are seeking, whilst being
assuredthatapprenticesdeveloptheskillsthatfitwiththeirneeds.
The Richard Review is available here.
The Engineering Councils database of technician qualifications can be found here.

ENAEE conference paper

The Engineering Councils Head of Policy and Standards, Deborah Seddon, was invited to present a paper on the UKs
Engineering Doctorate (EngD) at the annual European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE)
conference in November 2012 in Portugal.
Her paper, presented to a global audience, described the EngD in the context of CEng registration and the mapping that
wasundertakentoestablishwhetheritcouldbeaccreditedasanacademicaward.TheEngineeringCouncils
Regulations for Registration were amended early in 2012 to include an accredited EngD as an exemplifying academic
awardforCEngforthoseholdinganaccreditedBachelorsdegreewithhonoursinengineeringortechnology.
The Engineering Councils Guidance for PEIs on accrediting the EngD generated interest amongst delegates, and could
beofassistancetoaccreditingauthoritiesinothercountriesshouldtheywishtoaccreditsimilardegrees.ThefirstUK
accreditation visit to consider an EngD according to these guidelines was undertaken in March 2012, and universities
interest in this is growing.
The paper also considered the development of professional engineer competence as a dimension of the EngD and its
role in the initial professional development (IPD) of a potential registrant.
The paper and presentation can be found here.

Employer ownership fund

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES) recently announced the release of Round Two of the Employer
OwnershipFund.Thefundhastwospecificaims:
1.

2.

To enable employers to improve the skills of their current and future workforce where more effective, sustainable
improvements in skills lead to increased productivity and growth. Partnership with employers is essential, with
links through professional bodies, trade unions, colleges and training providers particularly welcomed.
To facilitate industrial partnerships to take wider responsibility for skills development in a place or sector this
stream should establish significant and long term partnerships to deliver end to end solutions, advance skills
developments beyond the current model. This can be undertaken by employers across a sector, or in association
with professional bodies, sector skills councils, LEPs, and Catapult centres.

The Engineering Council hosted a meeting for the PEIs in early January 2013 to discuss the opportunities related to this
fund.PEIswereencouragedtoalerttheiremployercontactsaswellasconsiderwhethertherearespecificemployers
that they would be able to support in making a bid for this funding.
Please note that the deadlines are 1pm on 11 March for employer registration, and 1pm on 28 March for full and outline
bids.
Furtherinformationisavailablehere.

International news section

2020 Entrepreneurship Action Plan
The European Commission has agreed that to bring Europe back to growth and higher levels of employment, it needs
moreentrepreneurs.AsafollowuptotheSmallBusinessActreviewofApril2011andtheIndustrialpolicy
communication adopted last October, it has launched its 2020 Entrepreneurship Action Plan Theplanincludestheaim
to set up a working group to assess the specific needs of liberal profession entrepreneurs in relation to issues such as
simplification,internationalisationoraccesstofinance.
Furtherdetailscanbefoundhere.

EYE Conference
Engineers Ireland will be welcoming Europes young engineers to Dublin from 7 to 9 June, when its Young Engineers
Society hosts the Spring European Young Engineers (EYE) conference.
Following the theme Building Networks to the Worldit will offer delegates the opportunity to foster new links with their
Europeanpeers.
Theconferencewillincludepresentations,workshopsandsitevisits,showcasingtheverybestofIrishengineering.It
willalsoincorporateanexhibitionandfullsocialprogrammefeaturingIrishculture.
AttendanceislimitedtoEYEmemberorganisations.Formoreinformationpleasecontactinfo@eyedublin2013.com
More information on EYE and its membership can be found here.

News from EngineeringUK

UK needs to significantly increase recruits into engineering to meet demand
TheannualreportbyEngineeringUK,launchedatNo11DowningStreetin
December,highlightsthepotentialshortfallinthenumberofannualrecruitsrequiredin
engineering by 2020 in order to meet expected demand.
Skillshortagesareforecastatgraduateandapprenticelevels.TheBusinessSecretary,
Vince Cable, has placed this skills challenge at the top of his priorities for 2013, and we can
expect to see a number of initiatives emerging from the Government during the course of the
year.
The full report can be found here.
Forfurtherinformationpleaseclickhere.

Big Bang Fair 2013

The fifth Big Bang Fair will be held at ExCeL London from 14 17March.Itisafreeevent,whichwillfeaturehundredsof
interactiveengineeringandscienceactivities.Someofthecountry'sleadingscientistsandengineerswillbeonhandto
answer youngstersmost burning questions, as well as showcasing the career options available to take their interests
evenfurther.TheBigBangFairistheperfectstartingpointforstudentswantingtofindoutmoreaboutthecareer
possibilities in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Schools and families can find out more and book their place by visiting: www.thebigbangfair.co.uk.

New Chief Executive for IOA

TheInstituteofAcoustics(IOA)hasannouncedtheappointmentofanewChiefExecutive,Allan
Chesney, who started at the beginning of January.
Allan joins IOA with a wealth of experience: after many yearsservice in the RAF, where he
originally trained as a mechanical engineer, he worked as national policy manager for the Learning
and Skills Council and then as head of Northamptonshire Adult Learning Service, during which time
he served on numerous national policy groups at the Departments for Education and Business
Innovation and Skills. In his spare time he chairs a drop-in centre for the homeless.
The full press release can be found here.

SocEnv appoints first President

Renowned environmental campaigner Tony Juniper has been appointed as the first President of the Society for the
Environment(SocEnv).Hewillhelptheorganisationinitsmissiontochampiontheroleofenvironmentalprofessionals
and the Chartered Environmentalist qualification.

Tony Juniper is an established face on the environmental circuit having been the director of Friends of the Earth in
England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 2003 and 2008 and the vice chair of Friends of the Earth International
from2001to2008.Hehasalsowrittenaseriesofbookscoveringvariousecologicalissues,holdsanumberofpositions
with diverse institutions as well as being a regular media commentator on environmental matters.

For further information please click here.

Partnership grants scheme for schools

The Royal Societys Partnership Grants schemeisnowopen.Schoolscanapplyforupto3,000 to work with scientists
and engineers on creative investigations that inspire students with the excitement and wonder of cutting-edge science
or engineering research.
Funds are available for projects working with students aged between 5-18, as long as the project involves a UK school
orcollege,andapractisingscientistorengineer.Therearetwofundingroundseachyear,andthecurrentroundfor
applications closes on 22 February 2012.Formoredetailsabouteligibilitycriteriaandtofindouthowtoapplyviathe
onlineapplicationsystem,gototheRoyal Society website.
A Partnership Grants project gives pupils the chance to work in a hands-onenvironment with a scientist or engineer,
gaining a better understanding of what they do and of the science involved. They can also provide an opportunity for
pupils to get out of the classroom on field or residential trips.

Inspiring the next generation of engineers

The week of March 11-15 will see an unprecedented number of engineers going into schools to give inspirational talks to
studentsabouttheworktheydoandhowtheychosetheircareers.Allengineersareinvitedtogetinvolvedandto
sign up to the Inspiring the Future programme in order to share their passion for engineering with young people.
This activity will form part of an important week for engineering, with many high profile events happening. First, the
inaugural winner of the global 1 million Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QE Prize) will be announced. The QE
Prize celebrates an engineer responsible for a ground-breaking innovation in engineering of benefit to humanity and will
provide a great opportunity to raise the profile of engineering in the UK. It is hoped that the prize will inspire and
engagethenextgenerationofyoungpeopletotakeupcareersinengineering.
Other events that week include The Big Bang fair, the first Global Grand Challenges Summit and National Science and
Engineering Week.
Hundreds of schools have signed up for the sister programme Inspiring the Future, which aims to recruit 100,000 people
at all stages of their careers from apprentices to CEOs to go into local schools to talk about their work and career
route. Leaders of engineering firms employing large numbers of engineers are asked to encourage their employees to
take part in Inspiring the Future.
For further details about participation please click here.

Positive UCAS figures for engineering

UCAS figures announced on 31 January show that applications to university are up by 3.5%, despite the rise in fees.
Interestingly, Engineering and Computer Sciences have risen by much more - 8.4% and 12.3% respectively. Physical
Sciences have also increased by 6.6%.
UK applications are up by 2.8% as part of this, whilst EU and Non-EU are also up 4.9% and 9.6%, showing there is still
confidence in the UK Higher Education product.
There has also been a rise in the slightly older applicant: Age 22/23 shows an increase of 6.0%/5.9% whilst the
traditional 19 yr old is up by 10.5%.
A further breakdown of engineering/computer science/materials is shown below:
H0 - Engineering: any area of study

H1 - General Engineering

12,832 15.2%

H2 - Civil Engineering

18,452 -4.2%

H3 - Mechanical Engineering

40,442 11.1%

H4 - Aerospace Engineering

13,041 6.2%

H5 - Naval Architecture

359

H6 - Electronic and Electrical Engineering

19,035 5.7%

H7 - Production and Manufacturing Engineering 2,832

1.5%

H8 - Chemical, Process and Energy Engineering 15,092 26.0%

H9 - Others in Engineering

12

HH - Combinations within Engineering

2,925

I1 - Computer Science

57,148 15.5%

I2 - Information Systems

9,116

-4.8%

I3 - Software Engineering

8,185

20.9%

I4 - Artificial Intelligence

285

I5 - Health Informatics

26

I6 - Games

2,593

-1.2%

38.1%

I7 - Computer generated visual & audio effects 169

I9 - Others in Computer Sciences

318

II - Combinations in Computer Sciences

5,408

J1 - Minerals Technology

98

J2 - Metallurgy

36

J3 - Ceramics and Glass

17

J4 - Polymers and Textiles

400

J5 - Materials Technology not otherwise spec

849

J6 - Maritime Technology

386

J7 - Biotechnology

1,146

-0.9%

J9 - Others in Technology

4,837

-2.9%

Further information is available here.

6.2%

15.4%

NAS launches new film

The National Apprenticeship Service has just launched a new film to encourage more young people to explore the wide
range of Apprenticeship opportunities available in manufacturing and engineering. In the film, four former and current
apprentices working in different roles across the sector, recount their experience and talk about how an Apprenticeship
hasbenefittedthem.
The four stars, who work for defence firm, MBDA Missile Systems, precision engineering manufacturer, Warren Services,
yacht building and boat repairs business, Berthon Boat Company and multinational defence, security and aerospace
company, BAE Systems, also talk about the breadth of skills they developed during their Apprenticeship and the
importanceofthesectortotheeconomy.
Employers, led by Semta, the Sector Skills Council for the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering sectors, are being
encouraged to promote the film across the sector and to young people. The film will also be used by the National
ApprenticeshipServiceinresourcepacksforschoolsandatcareerseventsupanddownthecountry.Toviewandshare
the film, visit www.apprentice.tv.
SarahSillarsOBE,chiefexecutiveatSemta,theSectorSkillsCouncilfortheAdvancedManufacturingandEngineering
sectors said: Apprenticeshipstartsinengineeringandadvancedmanufacturinghaveincreasedbymorethan85%in
the past two years. However, engineering and manufacturing still has an image problem - we need more teachers and
parents to understand apprenticeships will benefit their children and not somebody else's.
"Thesectorneedstorecruit82,000peoplejusttocoverretirementsupto2016.Apprenticeshipsarekeytotacklingthis
issue providing individuals with the advanced skills and experience to not only set them on a successful career path,
but also help ensure growth in what is one of the UKs priority sectors.
The film is the third in a series of sector in the spotlightfilms being created by the National Apprenticeship Service to
promoteApprenticeshipsinkeyindustrysectors.
For more information on Apprenticeships, visit apprenticeships.org.uk.

Climate Week
The third Climate Week - Britain's biggest climate change campaign - takes place from 4 to 10
March2013.BackedbythePrimeMinister,PaulMcCartney,theNAHTandtheMetofficeto
name a few, Climate Week is a supercharged national campaign to inspire a new wave of
action on climate change. It culminates in thousands of events and activities, planned by
organisations from every sector of society. Showcasing real, practical ways to combat climate
change, the campaign aims to renew ambitions to create a more sustainable, low-carbon future. During the last Climate
Week, over 3,000 events were attended by half a million people across the UK for the second successive year.
If any readers are interested in planning an event or getting involved, ideas can be found in the Things to do guide.
There is also still plenty of time to register to take part in the Climate Week Pub Quiz, Climate Week Challenge or the
ClimateWeekSwap.Ifyouarerunninganevent,itcanberegisteredhere.
To find out more about Climate Week, go to www.climateweek.com, email info@climateweek.com or telephone on 020
3397 2601.

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