Comment & Analysis
Alongside the Institution’s ongoing political engagement, public policy work and campaigns, the Institution’s Technical Strategy Board undertook in 2015 a range of bespoke political engagements at Westminster and the devolved parliaments. The aim was to provide high-level expert guidance and information to politicians, civil servants and decision makers.
In November 2015, the Institution hosted a private dinner in Stormont, Belfast to discuss the Teacher Industrial Partners’ Scheme (TIPS). The roundtable, with education spokespeople and committee members from across the political spectrum and industry figures, discussed the need to adopt TIPS as a way to plug the gap in careers advice.
With social mobility and increasing diversity into key industries high on the government’s agenda, it is imperative that the Institution promotes its work on careers advice to Whitehall. In the forthcoming year, the Institution will be looking to roll out the TIPS policy across different regions in the UK.
In early December, the Institution held a Parliamentary breakfast briefing at One Birdcage Walk to discuss electricity and the security of supply. The briefing included a presentation from the Power Industries Division and much of the work informed Dr Jenifer Baxter’s (Head of Energy and Environment) Engineering the UK’s Electricity Gap policy statement. The attendees were a mix of industry stakeholders, MPs and peers.
A member of the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee subsequently invited Dr Baxter to discuss energy policy privately with the Select Committee.
Also in December, the Institution arranged a Welsh Tidal dinner in Cardiff. The meeting had the express objective to formulate a policy position on marine energy to promote to the new Welsh Government after elections in May.
The invitees were drawn from academics within the marine energy sector, engineers from industry and business leaders involved in the projects. The debate was vigorous, informative and centred on the viable solutions. Dr Baxter is collating the information and working with a view to producing the policy position in 2016.
The Institution released several publications at the start of 2016, which gained widespread attention in the media and significant Parliamentary interest. Of particular note were the Engineering the UK’s Electricity Gap policy statement and the Autonomous and Driverless Cars case study, which were picked up by tabloid, broadsheet and trade press alike.
Prominent media appearances, such as Philippa Oldham’s (Head of Transport and Manufacturing) on Radio 4’s Today Programme to discuss manufacturing, enhance the Institution’s thought leadership status inside and outside Westminster.
To celebrate International Women’s Day on 8 March, the Institution will be hosting a Parliamentary Reception for Parliamentarians to meet remarkable engineering students, STEM teachers and engineering professionals.
They are all working to encourage future generations to consider careers in science and engineering. It is vital that the engineering community addresses two concerns here: the lack of engineers for what the UK requires and the lack of female representation in the industry. It is also imperative to gather as much Parliamentary support as possible to resolve the skills shortage, with dedicated policies and effort targeting schoolgirls, teenagers and graduates.