Engineering news
Children as young as six should be taught about engineering and manufacturing as part of a standard national curriculum, a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has suggested.
The organisation, along with the Royal Academy of Engineering, said that schools and colleges need to change the way they manage engineering and that they should operate a broad curriculum for learners until the age of 18. The report, 'Big Ideas: the future of engineering in schools', urges educators to make engineering a visible and viable option for students before they move on to higher education.
With the industry facing a skills and worker shortfall the IMechE says that schools are the frontline to tackle this issue, by increasing the number and scope of young people that choose engineering careers.
Peter Finegold, IMechE’s head of education and skills said: “The consensus is that early specialisation routes young people into either arts or sciences too soon, and prevents many from considering engineering study or training before they’ve encountered it.
“It is essential that we also consider a broader range of entry requirements for engineering degree courses, encouraging people with the right aptitude, but who may not fit the traditional archetype. Not only would this boost the number of people who might consider engineering as a career, but also encourage other creatively-minded people into the profession.”
The report outlined 10 long terms goals to:
- Promote engineering as a people-focused, problem-solving, socially beneficial discipline;
- Work to enhance the presence of engineering and the ‘made world’ at all stages from primary level upwards;
- Ensure that apprenticeships and other technical pathways not only deliver high quality technicians but also enable individuals to progress to the highest levels of engineering;
- Broaden routes into engineering degree courses by promoting more flexible entry requirements;
- Maintain a broad curriculum for all young people up to the age of 18;
- Shift the emphasis in STEM teaching towards problem-based, contextualised learning;
- Nurture engineering ways of thinking in all young people;
- Create more spaces and opportunities for young people to design and make things particularly by working collaboratively in interdisciplinary groups;
- Use Design and Technology as a platform for integrating STEM and creative design and for raising the profile of engineering in schools;
- Change the structure of schools education to embed engineering explicitly at all levels.
Finegold said: “Engineering skills are the linchpin to economic growth, a vibrant jobs market and tackling issues such as population growth and climate change.
“We need to stop talking about the skills gap and start taking action to ensure that we give children and students the best chance to make informed choices in our technological society. The best way to do this is to change the stories we tell about engineering and make the subject more visible throughout school."