MPs' engineering plea

A report has criticised the government for being ineffective in tackling the UK’s engineering skills shortage and mismanaging engineering policy.

The ‘Engineering: Turning Ideas into Reality’ report, by the Innovation, Universities, Science and Skills Committee (IUSS), said that it was ‘shocked’ to discover the lack of engineering advice in the formulation of policies for eco-towns and renewable energy projects.

The report suggests that government utilisation of the country’s engineering base would give Britain smarter solutions for problems such as energy security, climate change and the economic downturn.

The report advises the government to identify what expertise it has in the civil service and recruit more people into its accelerated science and engineering training scheme. It also suggests that the government should take a more strategic approach in its support for emerging industries by appointing senior officials to oversee engineering roadmaps and provide coherent engineering policy advice.

The report reads: ‘The strength of engineering knowledge in government is largely the result of accident. Despite the Professional Skills Agenda, there is not much evidence of nurturing professional skills.