Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2018 to Question 132470 on Engineering: Vocational Guidance, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the programme to raise the profile of engineering during the Year of Engineering will result in a long-term increase in the awareness of engineering careers in schools.

The Year of Engineering 2018 aims to raise the profile of engineering among 7 to 16-year olds by working with partners from different sectors to give young people direct and inspiring experiences of engineering. This includes outreach work in schools, behind the scenes tours and activities for young people and their families. The campaign aims to showcase the variety, creativity and social value of modern engineering and the difference it can make to peoples’ lives, appealing to the career aspirations of young people. It also aims to challenge negative or traditional perceptions of the profession and obstacles to considering it as a career choice by putting engineering role models in the spotlight, showing that background, gender and education do not need to be barriers to becoming an engineer.

The government’s careers strategy aims to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers advice in schools, making sure that STEM encounters with employers and apprenticeships, for example, are built into school career programmes.

To make sure that young people are able to develop the skills needed for a career in engineering we are investing in programmes to increase the take-up of mathematics, by incentivising schools using the recently launched advanced mathematics premium, and providing support to schools to improve progression to physics A level through the Stimulating Physics Network. We are also supporting better teaching of mathematics, physics and computing in schools, including a new £84 million programme to improve computing teaching.