Giving engineers a voice at the political party conferences

The UK needs engineers to build better transport, improve healthcare and deliver cleaner energy.

We took the profession’s priorities to five party conferences, calling for the skills, investment and support engineers need to do that work.

We attended the Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Reform UK and Green party conferences. Our discussions focused on:

• Building the engineering workforce. We called for a national plan to connect education, training and employers’ needs. Better support for teachers, clearer routes into technical careers and opportunities to retrain would help tackle skills shortages.
• Preparing for climate impacts. Extreme weather threatens transport, energy supplies and other essential services. We highlighted the need for government departments to work together and test how infrastructure would cope with several disruptions happening at once.
• Making better use of materials. Repair, reuse and recycling can create jobs and reduce reliance on imported raw materials. We called for clearer rules and investment to help businesses put these approaches into practice.

A closer look at skills

At Labour’s conference, James Partington, our Director of Engineering Policy and Impact, hosted a fireside chat with Baroness Jacqui Smith, Minister of State for Skills, and Dr Hilary Leevers, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK.

The National Engineering Policy Centre discussion, hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering, explored the workforce needed to deliver the government’s Industrial Strategy.

We discussed technical and vocational training, attracting people from a wider range of backgrounds, and giving local areas more control over skills training.

James said:

"I return to the office feeling like I have my fingers on the political pulse - it's hugely valuable to hear the political discourse and direction of travel, whether on NEETs, cost of energy, or skills, or rewiring the state - to name a few."

A key takeaway was that government must continue to draw on engineering expertise as it develops skills policies. For members, this means keeping the profession’s practical knowledge and workforce needs in the conversation.

What happens next?