'Crucial time' for engineering

While it points out that 85% of those surveyed would be willing to recommend an engineering career to family and friends, the report also determined that the sector faces several key challenges. In particular, it notes a 30% decrease in Further Education lecturers in engineering and manufacturing, along with a 17% drop in the number of Higher Education students going into Production and Manufacturing Engineering degrees. Paul Jackson, Chief Executive of EngineeringUK, said: "There has never been a more crucial time for engineering. With [more] people willing to recommend engineering careers to family and friends, we now have a real window of opportunity to persuade the wider world of the benefits and rewards they can bring. "In order to do this however, we must first address a number of challenges, not least increasing the number of Further Education lecturers in engineering, and improving perceptions of engineering and manufacturing both across the gender divide." Jackson said that UK engineering needs to create more than 580,000 engineers in the next few years – either by attracting new entrants or upskilling. "Over the past 10 or 20years, about one third of people had professional skills. That needs to reach 50%." EngineeringUK chairman Sir Anthony Cleaver, pictured, added: "Our change of name is a clear statement of what we represent, but it's not changing our purpose, which is inspiring people to pursue a career in engineering."