Commenting on the recent announcement that James Dyson is to set up a new academy of design and innovation for developing tomorrow’s talented young engineers, Charles Leigh, sector manager for Construction and Engineering Technology, at City & Guilds said:

‘The initiative is refreshing and welcome.   For a nation that has traditionally prided itself on innovation and enterprise, it’s a worrying state of affairs that the UK continues to lose its edge against developing countries in Asia, as manifested in our balance of payments.

It is timely and appropriate that this issue is widely debated in business, government and education circles and that collectively we find a solution.    Whilst the Chancellor recognises that Britain needs to specialise in high skills professions, such as engineering, Dyson has taken the bull by the horns and put forward a practical solution, supported by the Government and key business players such as Rolls-Royce and BAe, who value good vocational training and already work closely with City & Guilds.

An academy of design and enterprise is a good starting point and linking its work to that of the academies currently under development by the engineering-related sector skills councils should raise the profile of engineering as a career and developing world-class talent.    If we are serious about nurturing innovation and entrepreneurial skills, should we not consider extending such specialist academies throughout the UK?   We need to build on such initiatives and explore a better way of spreading expertise throughout the whole of the FE sector.

Specialist academies of excellence will be better equipped to address some of the differences encountered in delivering the fundamentals and ensure that mathematics and science are put into context and inspire future generations of innovative and entrepreneurial learners.    Practical hands-on experience and contextualising learning and theory at an early age is critical and that will undoubtedly mean a sea change in the way that subjects are taught.   If we are to inspire future generations of engineers, they need to have early exposure to what opportunities and career progression are available to them and what skills and competencies they will need.   Day release and short courses should provide a good introduction.

A key challenge for the UK is to highlight the numerous opportunities available in this fast-moving industry.  Specialists within the industry anticipate that the 2012 Olympic Games will create 50,000 new jobs in engineering within the next six years and this should encourage fresh talent into the profession.    But the clock is ticking against us.  We have less than six years to achieve this and we must remember that to train up the next generation of young people within engineering will take at least a decade and longer for them to achieve their potential and start making a contribution towards the UK’s balance of payments.  Therefore, we need to start investing in the development of tomorrow’s talented innovators and entrepreneurs if we are to maintain our engineering heritage and follow in the footsteps of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Sir Frank Whittle, Sir Christopher Cockerell and Frank Williams, and compete in the global marketplace.’

Charles Leigh is the general manager for Construction and Engineering Technology at City & Guilds