Readers letters
I would like to take up one point from your excellent editorial in the February edition of PE. You state, correctly, that the downgrading by the present government of engineering qualifications will have disastrous effects that will be difficult to reverse.
It is my experience that this statement is just not strong enough, and understates the problems - problems that to all intents and purposes will be impossible to reverse by simple changes by this or a future government to education and training policies.
More than 20 years ago I was Head of Engineering at a large Technical College. There were more than 50 full-time, and many more part-time, engineering lecturers teaching and training in excess of 2000 full time and part time students. They were studying courses from basic craft skills to HNCs and beyond. In recent years this has all changed. At the same college there are now fewer than 10 specialist engineering staff and these are mainly running introductory courses for young men who dream of becoming motor mechanics. The engineering workshops and laboratories have gone: CNC machines were sold for scrap: a whole suite of electronics laboratories was turned over to non-capital intensive courses such as Media Studies. As far as I can ascertain this is not an odd example - it is the pattern across the whole country.
Engineering and Construction courses have always been relatively expensive to run and budgeting for the updating of capital equipment was always a major point of conflict with the controlling Authorities. This is why they have never been popular with ambitious college and university managers.
My point is that if in the future even if there were to be a radical change of government policy leading to active recognition of the importance of training for the engineering industry - at all levels - it would not solve the problem. The amount of capital investment required to provide the hardware to run effective courses has become prohibitive. Changing the rules and qualifications is simply not enough. There is a need for a massive programme of investment and a strong level of commitment to all forms of engineering studies - but there are no signs of these being forthcoming.
In the meantime Vice-Chancellors, Directors, and Principals are content to fill their colleges and universities with cheap to run, fashionable, courses. Statistics look good and their political masters are pleased. The whole process is part of the long term rundown of manufacturing industries.
I could go on and complain about the lack of Engineers in Parliament and the background and experience of bean counting Cabinet Ministers - but it has always been that way. What does cause me some despair is that some of my fellow engineers seem to be far more concerned about their titles and status than trying to correct this lack of understanding of the importance of Engineering - at all levels - to the whole of Society. I don't care what you call me but for the good of the country I want to see a solid line of succession. At the present rate in two generations Engineers will be an extinct species.
David G Stuart, Canterbury, Kent
Next letter: An inspiration to the young