Professional Engineering

1. Would you like to see some form of legal protection given to the title “engineer”?

Yes: 91%  No: 7%  Don't know: 2%

This might be something of an old chestnut, but the issue of legal protection for the title “engineer” remains close to the heart of many of our readers. What evidently riles most is when unqualified tradesmen are given the title: we’ve all seen signs stuck to equipment such as photocopiers proclaiming that it is broken and that an engineer has been called to carry out a repair. Lots of our readers said that this problem had existed for many decades, and that despite it being debated many times before nothing ever got done about it. So engineers continue to quietly fume when they see their title misused.

2. Do you expect to see legal protection given to the title “engineer” in your lifetime?

Yes: 20%  No: 65%  Don't know: 15%

If title misuse angered our readers, they were not confident that steps would be taken to prevent it from happening in the future. Several readers said that it was too late to save the word “engineer” and that some form of new title should be created and protected. There were real levels of frustration among the write-in comments, but there was a general feeling that nothing could now be done to rectify what was an age-old problem.

3. Do you think the public is gaining a better understanding of what an engineer does?

Yes: 18%  No: 77%  Don't know: 5%

There have been dozens of initiatives over the years aimed at changing the perception of engineering. But, despite this, our readers don’t think much progress has been made. More than three-quarters of respondents did not feel that the general public were gaining a better understanding of what an engineer actually did for a living. Despite an increase in the publicity on engineering-related projects such as Crossrail, many said they felt that the role of the engineer was masked by ignorance and technical illiteracy. And worryingly there was little sign of this changing, they said.

4. Do you feel that engineering is enjoying a higher profile among political circles than it has in recent years?

Yes: 49%  No: 40%  Don't know: 11%

The answers to this question were slightly more upbeat than those that had gone before. There was a strong feeling that the importance of manufacturing and engineering had been belatedly acknowledged in the UK. But cynicism underpinned much of this thinking: many readers said they felt it was convenient that politicians were interested in engineering now that the financial sector had gone to pot.

5. Is the profession getting better at promoting engineering to school children?

Yes: 50%  No: 25%  Don't know: 25%

Again, it was generally felt that improvements had been made in promoting engineering to young people. There was a strong feeling among readers that school children were starting to make more informed career choices, avoiding “soft” degrees that might offer less taxing studies but rarely delivered a job at the end. Engineering was now increasingly viewed by young people as a “proper” subject, with decent career opportunities and job satisfaction.

6. Would you be prepared to give up your time to promote engineering to young people?

Yes: 78%  No: 9%  Don't know: 13%

This question delivered some really encouraging responses. Engineers are busy people, with often stressful jobs and heavy workloads. But more than three-quarters of our readers said that, despite feeling the pressure at times, they would still be prepared to help promote engineering to young people. Many readers said they really enjoyed performing mentoring work within their firm and would be keen to extend their activities in this area. 

7. Have you heard of the Big Bang science and engineering fair?

Yes: 41%  No: 58%  Don't know: 1%

The Big Bang fair is the largest celebration of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK, and it is expected to attract 35,000 visitors when it takes place at the NEC exhibition centre in Birmingham on 15-17 March. But more work needs to be done to raise its profile among our readers: 58% said they had never heard of it. That was a shame, because PE has attended the Big Bang fair before and has always found it fascinating, informative and well-run. The organisers are always looking for more industrial involvement at the event, and further details can be found at www.thebigbangfair.co.uk.

8. Would you actively encourage your own offspring to become an engineer?

Yes: 70%  No: 17%  Don't know: 13%

You could be forgiven for feeling slightly downbeat after reading some of the answers about status in this month’s survey. But this last question gives cause for optimism: the vast majority of our readers would actively encourage their own offspring to become an engineer. Yes, engineers are often taken for granted, and the pay isn’t always wonderful, but the work is often challenging, exciting and invigorating. Indeed, many readers said that if they themselves were back at school they would become engineers again.