Contributing to a Brighter Future for Engineering

EngineeringUK’s Hilary Leevers on how IChemE members’ professional registration fees help secure a diverse and thriving workforce

ENGINEERING and technology are critical to all our lives, but workforce needs are growing faster than we can meet them, especially as we invest to improve sustainability and progress towards net zero. Furthermore, we need to strengthen this workforce through greater diversity.

That’s why EngineeringUK’s mission is to enable more young people, from all backgrounds, to be informed, inspired, and progress into engineering and technology, enabling these sectors to thrive. We can only achieve this through partnership, and we currently work with over 350 organisations, including 39 Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs), of which IChemE is one.¹ Our Trustees include PEI CEOs, while our current chair, Iain Conn, is a Fellow of IChemE.

We’re privileged to be funded predominantly via the professional registration fees of engineers and technicians, all of whom become members. We share this funding with the Engineering Council, working together to ensure quality in the profession today and investment in shaping its future workforce. EngineeringUK is also supported by businesses, trusts, foundations, and corporate members.

So, how are we investing your fees to advance engineering?

We’re privileged to be funded predominantly via the professional registration fees of engineers and technicians, all of whom become members

Inspiring the next generation

Last year we launched a new five-year strategy to drive four keys areas of work:

RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE

Understanding current workforce and future workforce needs provides the bedrock on which to build careers advice, and education and training policy and practice. Additionally, our evaluations help us understand what really works to inspire the next generation.

For instance, last year we published extensive research on engineering skills needs, which included a breakdown across various disciplines.² Production, process, and chemical engineers are covered in an “industrial” skills snapshot (see below).