More British Engineering Undergraduates, More Drop-Outs
The number of British undergraduates studying engineering is up by six per cent in the last ten years – but their ‘drop-out’ rate before graduation exceeded that of any other subject. This picture of good news countered by bad emerges from a focus on engineering and education in the Engineering Council’s latest annual Digest of Engineering Statistics.
The study reveals that 15,931 UK students were accepted onto engineering undergraduate degree courses in 1999 – six per cent more than a decade earlier - and that they boasted higher average A-level scores than their counterparts of a few years previously (19.6 compared to 18.7).
Yet the ‘drop-out’ rate in the first year among the 1996-97 intake stood at 12 per cent, the highest in any subject included in the survey. Most ‘drop-out’ students had relatively low entry qualifications. Malcolm Shirley, Director General of the Engineering Council concluded:
“If better A-level and other entry requirements were achieved, we might expect a significantly better performance from Engineering Departments in Higher Education institutions.”
Mr Shirley was speaking at an industry forum at BAE Systems in Farnborough held today (Wednesday 21 March) to discuss the challenge of promoting engineering careers to young people. “Industry faces severe shortages of important engineering skills, notably in IT and electronics. Unless we can put the case firmly for engineering as a dynamic and worthwhile career, we risk yet more young people turning away from engineering to careers in law, media studies or accountancy”.
“Schoolchildren” he continued, “seem strangely ambivalent about choosing engineering as a career”. The Digest suggests that by the age of 17 some 7.2 per cent of pupils had decided to take up an engineering career, with only finance, medicine and the arts being more popular. A crucial factor in choosing engineering was the presence of a positive role model, typically a father, who already worked as an engineer.
“Part of our dilemma stems from the reluctance of those choosing engineering to admit their choice to classmates – apparently because of engineering’s ‘negative’ image. It’s never been more crucial to work together to counter negative perceptions and to promote the benefits of engineering careers”, he said.
Some measures of UK performance in engineering education are distinctly more encouraging, however. Of all European Union countries, only Germany produces more engineering graduates than Britain. And in a list of 20 industrialised nations worldwide, the UK scored the second highest percentage of 24 year olds with engineering or science degrees.
Provision for ‘craft and technician’ level engineering is widespread and growing among colleges of Further Education, according to the most recently available figures. In 1997-98 a total of 365 of 423 colleges (86 per cent) in the FE sector had courses in engineering and technology, compared with just 347 of the 456 colleges (76 per cent) in existence in 1994-95.
Notes for Editors
1. Engineering and technology are a vital part of the process of wealth creation in the modern economy. The Engineering Council, by bringing together the leading professional engineering institutions in the UK, provides a central resource for supporting and promoting this process.
The Council’s register of over 250,000 professional engineers and technicians reflects the best engineering talent in the country, whose credentials have been assessed against internationally recognised standards. The register embraces professional people working in new technologies across the broad spectrum of business and industry.
Strong links with the specialist engineering institutions, with business, with educational and training organisations and with government enable the Council to provide authoritative advice on manpower and skills needs, educational issues, and the many broader economic, safety and sustainability issues in which engineers and technologists play a key role.
2. Tomorrow’s People – Promoting Engineering Careers at BAE SYSTEMS, Farnborough, Hampshire on 21 March.
Hosted by BAE SYSTEMS at their corporate headquarters in Farnborough, Hampshire, the event focuses on how the engineering and technology community is addressing current and future skills shortages and the problems of promoting engineering to young people.
It features presentations from BAE SYSTEMS, Ford Motor Company, The British Association for the Advancement of Science and The Royal Academy of Engineering. Also featured will be an overview of Engineering Council programmes, which are supported by Industry. These will include Young Engineers for Britain, Neighbourhood Engineers Programme and FuTEC 2001.
3. Engineers for Britain, The state of the profession towards 2001 is the fourth in a series of annual statistical digests published by the Engineering Council. Each edition comprises a wide range of education, labour market and economic statistics to illustrate the current position of engineers in the UK.
Copies are available from the Engineering Council on 020 7240 7891 at the price of £70.00 (£40.00 to registered engineers).
Some free press copies are available from Juliet Upton, Deputy Director, External Affairs, Engineering Council. Please email jupton@engc.org.uk if you would like to receive a copy.
Reference URL : www.engc.org.uk/industry