‘Engineering Together – The North East Community of Professional Engineers’ launches in the Tees Valley

A modern showcase of engineering echoing the renowned ‘Great Exhibition’ of the Victorian era is to be the centrepiece of a new partnership launched to promote the engineering profession in the north east of England.

The ‘Great Exhibition of the Tees Valley’ - a celebration of the world leading science, technology and engineering that exists in the Tees Valley in the 21^st century – will be held in 2025 to coincide with the 200^th anniversary of the Stockton to Darlington Railway, with a pilot version to take place in 2020.

The event will be created by ‘Engineering Together - The North East Community of Professional Engineers’ - a partnership of fourteen Professional Engineering Institutions⁽¹⁾ and other interested parties⁽²⁾.

The partnership has the objective of raising the profile of engineering with the public, young people, politicians and the media; shining a light on the fact that engineering is a multidisciplined profession that underpins almost every aspect of modern society. ‘Engineering Together’ is now active on both the Tees and the Tyne.

The group was launched in the Tees Valley at an event at Ormsby Hall⁽³⁾ in Middlesbrough, hosted by The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA),⁽⁴⁾ who were responsible for the Great Exhibition of 1851 at Crystal Palace in London.

Bowman Bradley, chair of the North East Branch of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers⁽⁵⁾, said:

“Engineering has been the lifeblood of Tees Valley and the North East of England for generations. It is still a vital part of our local economy, employing very large numbers of people, facts which are often not recognised, here and wider afield.

I am delighted that our North East Branch is part of this initiative and its ambitious plans.”

This initiative builds on other successful ventures to promote engineering in the north east with the ‘Great North Engineering Experience’⁽⁶⁾, which drew 34,000 visitors during the ‘Great Exhibition of the North 2018’ and was shortlisted at the Journal and Gazette Culture Awards 2019, and  ‘Bring it On, The North East Exhibition for Future Engineers⁽⁷⁾ now in its third successful year.

ENDS

News release: issued on behalf of the North East branch of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Contact: Bowman Bradley, NE Region Chair, 01740 644422, neastchair@imechenearyou.org

or: Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Press Office on 020 7973 1261 or email media@imeche.org.

Notes for Editors:

1. Professional Engineering Institutions (PEI’s) are professional bodies, representing, registering and regulating professional engineers in a wide range of engineering disciplines. Most are set up under Royal Charter and all are licensed by the Engineering Council to assess candidates for inclusion on the national register of professional engineers and technicians.
2. Partners in ‘Engineering Together’
   

   The following are currently partners in ‘Engineering Together’:
   
   - The Institution of Mechanical Engineers
   - The Chartered Institute of Building Services Engineers
   - The Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation
   - The Institute of Measurement and Control
   - The Institution of Chemical Engineers
   - The Institution of Civil Engineers
   - The Institution of Engineering and Technology
   - The Institution of Structural Engineers
   - Engineering UK
   - The Cleveland Institution of Engineers
   - The Cleveland Scientific Institution
   - The Common Room ('The Mining Institute')
   - The Platen Family Fund/The Community Foundation
   - The Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA).

3. Ormesby Hall, a Grade I listed building, is a predominantly 18th-century mansion house built in the Palladian style and completed in 1754. It is situated in Ormesby, Middlesbrough, and is owned and operated by the National Trust
4. The RSA (The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), founded in 1754, is a charity which encourages the release of human potential to address the challenges that society faces.                       
5. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers was established in 1847 and is one of the fastest growing professional engineering institutions. Headquartered in London, we have over 120,000 members in more than 140 countries working in key industries such as the automotive, rail, aerospace, medical, power and construction industries.

6. The Great North Engineering Experience Local Professional Engineering Institutions co-operated to put on the Great North Engineering Experience as part of the Great Exhibition of the North 2018. It was held at the Mining Institute in Newcastle and attracted 34,000 visitors in 11 weeks.
   The exhibition showcased the modern engineering industry that exists in the North through engaging and interactive displays, exhibitions by northern engineering companies, a series of talks and family-friendly lectures, and hands on engineering activities, as well an opportunity to find out about careers in engineering.

7. Bring It On – The North East Exhibition for Future Engineers, a showcase of North East engineering for young people. It seeks to educate them about the engineering that exists in the Region, to inspire them to want to be part of it and to inform them as to how they can become so. It is in its third successful year and is currently fully booked for October 2019 with 2,500 pupils and 60 north east-based engineering companies registered to take part.

    

In the photograph, from left to right:

Bowman Bradley - NE Region Chair, Institution of Mechanical Engineers

Paula McMahon - Teesside Branch Chair, Institution of Civil Engineers,

Paul Frank - Chair, Teesside Members Group, Institution of Chemical Engineers

Paul Ingram - The Royal Society of Arts, Director, Bath Street Centre

Moira Shaftoe - Business Partnerships Manager - N E Region, Engineering UK.