The evening event produced a lively debate about such issues as the future of manufacturing industry in the UK; attracting and retaining the brightest and best talent to engineering careers; which technologies will form the basis of future growth in the UK; and how the UK can encourage more investment in engineering, both locally and nationally.
Specific topics debated by the panel included –
· What are the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for engineering in Gloucestershire
· How can Gloucestershire best take advantage of the IT revolution
· Is the UK engineering profession underpaid in comparison to elsewhere in the world
· What is the status of engineers and engineering in the UK
· Will the drive towards more apprenticeships provide a better skilled workforce
· Does engineering suffer due to political short term-ism
· What role can professional associations and institutions play
· Are we recognising the right people
· Would an engineer make a good Prime Minister!
The panel included:
Steve Gregory, Managing Director, Delphi Diesel Systems (Heavy Duty);
Steve Lewis, Product Engineering Leader GE Aviation;
Jeremy Miller, Group Research Manager Spirax Sarco;
David Owen, Chief Executive GFirst Local Enterprise Partnership;
Ben Taylor, Assistant CEO Renishaw;
Linsey Temple, CEO Gloucestershire Engineering Training (GET).
The panel was chaired by Peter Hale, Chair, IET Gloucestershire Network.
The event was jointly orgnaised by the Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS); the Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE); the Institute of Physics (IOP); the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD); the British Computer Society (BCS); and the Institute of Engineering & Technology (IET).