According to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers a radical rethink about the role of schools and colleges in promoting engineering is needed.

‘Big Ideas: the future of engineering in schools’ is supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering and reflects the views of leading engineering education experts and key stakeholders such as employers, parents and pupils. It proposes that pupils should be explicitly taught about engineering and the manufactured world as part of existing lessons from primary level upwards. In addition, the report says that a broad curriculum should be maintained for all until the age of 18 and that routes into engineering should be broadened by promoting flexible entry requirements for engineering degree courses.

Head of education and skills at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and lead author of the report, Peter Finegold, said: “We have an engineering skills shortfall at a time where technology looks set to increase its dominance over much of our lives. Our schools need to adjust to this reality, both by increasing the number and breadth of young people choosing engineering careers, and by empowering those who do not. We need a step-change in the way we talk about engineering in schools and colleges.”

He continued: “This means ensuring that primary school children are taught not just about the natural world but also taught about the manufactured world too.

“Maintaining a broad curriculum until the age of 18 would mean pupils wouldn’t have to make decisions to give up subjects before they really knew what they were. The consensus is that early specialisation routes young people into either arts or sciences too soon, and prevents many from considering engineering study or training before they’ve encountered it.

“It is essential that we also consider a broader range of entry requirements for engineering degree courses, encouraging people with the right aptitude, but who may not fit the traditional archetype. Not only would this boost the number of people who might consider engineering as a career, but also encourage other creatively-minded people into the profession.”  

The report’s findings are based on the Big Ideas project conceived by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and developed with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering. Through a combination of provocative ‘think pieces’ from leading educators, a study of stakeholder attitudes and an international interdisciplinary workshop, the project identified a series of strategic options that, collectively, represent a compelling vision for the future of engineering education in UK schools.