British Army Launches ‘Year of Engineering’ Campaign

The British Army joined a campaign to make 2018 the ‘Year of Engineering’ by holding an event aimed at inspiring young people.

It forms part of a Government and industry-led effort to boost enthusiasm for engineering in the next generation.

A hundred school and college students were invited to meet military engineers at the Royal School of Military Engineering in Minley, Surrey, to learn about their work.

Speaking to Forces News, the Army’s Chief Engineer Colonel Paul Johnson said:

“Today isn’t about recruiting. It’s about encouraging youngsters just to think about giving engineering a chance.”

The Royal Engineers, the Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Logistic Corps ran activities that allowed pupils to increase their understanding of engineering.

“The Army is about teamwork and opportunities – lifelong learning – and engineering is at the heart of all of that,” said Colonel Johnson.

The UK is facing a national skills shortage in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which could affect defence.

The Chief Engineer acknowledged that this would negatively impact the Army:

“We are a larger engineering employer and, just as the rest of the UK, we need to make sure that there’s a constant throughput of fresh talent.”

A forthcoming EngineeringUK report found that Britain has an annual demand for at least 124,000 engineers and technicians with core engineering skills.

The proportion of those in the industry under 25 has been decreasing over the last ten years, and there is currently a big drop in young people pursuing engineering professions.

Cover picture courtesy of the British Army.