Failure to recruit undermines sustainability drive
The UK's failure to recruit more engineers is undermining our efforts to create a sustainable built environment, according to the National Grid.
It has produced research that shows young people, between the ages of 14 and 19, are not attracted to engineering professions because they consider it be "dirty and menial" and not for high academic achievers.
Parents and teachers too are ignoring the opportunities in engineering-based professions and are not promoting them to students and offspring. The Grid predicts we will have a serious skills shortage and fail to fill the 1,000 new positions it believes are required between now and 2020 to deliver low carbon energy solutions.
The Engineering Our Future report, includes results gathered from interviews with 1,300 young people aged 14-19. National Grid chief executive, Steve Holliday, said it proved that there was an urgent need "to inspire today's youth and help them to see how exciting and interesting a career in engineering can be".
"We need lots of very clever people who can make things happen and think outside the box to create a different world in the future."