Communications Briefing: 2 February to 18 February 2019

INSTITUTION IN THE NEWS

The Institution launched its The Future for Hydrogen Trains in the UK report which highlighted the need for hydrogen trains to eliminate harmful emissions on non-electrified lines. The Press Office also responded to calls to changes to the exam system, announced that the Thrust SSC Supersonic Car received an Engineering Heritage Award and revealed two projects which received Engineering Education Grant Scheme funding.

The View From Birdcage Walk blog features Peter Finegold’s 'Five years on from John Perkins Review of Engineering Skills' which revisits a landmark review of engineering skills.

• 16/02/19 It pays to save for that very rainy day: Climate-proof your home so you're ready for Britain's wild weather – Daily Mail

  A story exploring what can be done in our homes to save energy, push down ever-increasing fuel bills, and engineer more eco-friendly long-term designs. The article highlights the potential for an energy crisis and quotes the Institution’s forecast that as soon as 2025, the demand for electricity could outstrip its supply by as much as 40 per cent chiefly because of the country’s growing population. Also features on This is Money.

• 15/02/19 Jeans you can lease instead of buying? How fashion is coming to terms with sustainability – CNBC

  Article about Mud Jeans, a company which wants to produce clothes in a sustainable manner using organic cotton and recycled denim, which quotes statistics from the Institution’s Engineering Out Fashion Waste report.

• 12/02/19 The investment in HFC trains is essential to the UK railway industry, report – Hydrogen Fuel News

  Article highlighting that investment in Hydrogen Fuel Cell trains is vital as part of the process to improve the nation’s air quality in areas outside of the UK’s electrified rail network. Also features on Rail Magazine, Air Quality News, The Engineer, Energy Live News, Railway Technology, Open Access Government, Process and Control, Engineering and Technology, Environment Guru.

• 14/02/19 Damning report urges change in education – Machinery Market

  Peter Finegold’s reaction to Engineering Skills for the Future – the 2013 Perkins Review Revisited in which he highlights that the divide between academic and technical education must be overcome for future engineers to have the right mix of practical skills needed for increasingly digital work-places.

• 14/02/19 Robert Halfon: 'We must face facts about GCSEs' – TES 

  Reaction to Robert Halfon’s call to changes to the exam system which features Peter Finegold’s thoughts in which he highlights that one way of ensuring more young people keep their options open for longer would be to introduce a broader baccalaureate. Also featured in FE News.

• 14/02/19 Young engineers have fun learning – Times & Star

  News that a school in Cockermouth has received a grant from the Institution’s Engineering Education Grant Scheme.

• 14/02/19 Thrust SSC Supersonic Car receives Engineering Heritage Award – Process and Control

The first supersonic car to set a land speed record higher than the speed of sound receives recognition from the Institution. Also featured in Electronic Specifier, Azo Materials and Connecting Industry.