The engineering skills crisis is no news to anybody, and it’s certainly not something new to be talking about here on our blog. In the past, we’ve talked about the lack of engineering skills in the UK at present, particularly when one speculates about the coming years, and we’ve also majored upon the need to re-educate young people about the “definition” of engineering. Many children look upon maths and science as boring, so that is something that needs to be addressed (given the fact that it couldn’t be further from the truth). However, according to the news, there’s also another problem.

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Children Asking, “Why is Maths Useful?”

Engineering and Technology Magazine put the issue rather succinctly; quite simply, students don’t see the point of stuff like maths. Not liking maths is one thing, but not understanding why it’s useful is surely a disaster waiting to happen. You could argue it’s already happening, as the aforementioned article relates the UK’s fall down the international table documenting the maths skills of 15 year olds (we’ve dropped 20 places). The article also discusses the confusion of many teachers when trying to distinguish between engineers and technicians, so the waters seem very muddy, to say the least.

Where’s This Issue Come From?

Once again, this latter confusion may be the root of the problem. The fact is that more design and technology teachers are promoting the engineering routes than science or maths teachers, so children with an aptitude for ‘hand on approaches’ are encountering the world of engineering with far greater regularity than maths students are. As such, can you blame children for not associating maths with engineering? And not associating maths with engineering in later school can be hugely detrimental, as most engineering routes require an aptitude in maths and physics at the very least.

Assuaging the Engineering Shortage

Apparently, in the next decade we’re going to need around 87,000 graduate engineers per year to remain on track and fill the country’s needs. 2013 posted figures that we’re some 30,000 plus engineers short of this goal, so a lot of work needs to be done to reach these targets. At ICS, plenty of our clients work within the engineering industry and possess really interesting and varied roles. Aside from the fact that we have a professional interest in this subject, it would be a genuine shame if more people didn’t begin to access this fascinating – not to mention essential – profession.

We usually encounter engineering contractors looking for accountancy and administration help, so here at ICS we provide a Limited Company Service and contractor umbrella solution and tailor our assistance to suit your exact needs. If you’d like more information, please don’t hesitate to contact us today by calling 0800 195 3750 or talk to us using the chat-box on our website.