University of Sheffield welcomes Government led campaign to boost UK engineering industry
- The University of Sheffield will support the Year of Engineering campaign by showcasing all the Faculty of Engineering has to offer in a bid to help inspire the next generation of engineers
- Currently there is an annual shortfall of 20,000 engineering graduates*
- Within the engineering workforce 94 per cent are white and 92 per cent are male**
The University of Sheffield welcomes and supports the official launch of the Government’s Year of Engineering campaign, which aims to tackle the engineering skills gap, widen the pool of young people who join the profession and celebrate UK engineering.
The University of Sheffield, which is ranked in the global 100 for engineering and technology, recognises that there is a real shortage of skilled engineers in the UK and hopes this campaign will encourage and inspire young people everywhere to consider pursuing an education and career within engineering.
The Faculty of Engineering at the University of Sheffield will support the year long campaign through events and by sharing stories focused on breakthrough research, student achievement, celebrating alumni and their world-class teaching facilities.
Professor Mike Hounslow, Vice President and Head of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “We welcome the Year of Engineering campaign and the opportunity to celebrate the vital contribution that engineering makes to our country. It aims to tackle the engineering skills gap and widen the pool of young people joining the profession, which align with our own ambitions here at the University.
“As engineers, our motivation is to make the world a better place. Here at Sheffield, we are committed to producing world-class engineers with the skills and capabilities to tackle the grand challenges of the 21st Century.”
The faculty particularly wants to encourage more females and students from BME backgrounds to pursue an education in engineering as there is a real shortfall of women and ethnic minorities working within the industry.
Engineering at the University of Sheffield gives students access to world class teaching facilities such as the Diamond. The Diamond building, which was opened in 2017 by the first British woman to go into space and Sheffield alumna, Dr Helen Sharman OBE, caters for over 5,000 students and includes 19 specialist engineering labs.
The University of Sheffield also offers unique initiatives such as the Global Engineering Challenge and Engineering You’re Hired, where students work in multidisciplinary teams to tackle real world engineering problems.
Engineering students leave the University of Sheffield with the skills to work in the real world with real engineering challenges such as healthcare, infrastructure and the environment.
Academics within the faculty are also renowned for ground breaking research from developing more suitable vaginal mesh material, to a new additive manufacturing process, Diode Area Melting, that is faster and more energy efficient, to the development of 3D printed handlebars that have been used by Team GB in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
The University of Sheffield is excited and enthused by the Year of Engineering and hopes it inspires young people from across the UK to pursue engineering and help to boost the industry with fresh, new talent from a wide range of backgrounds.
*Engineering UK, 2017
** Royal Academy of Engineering 2015