Engineering tops career poll
9 Nov 2015
More people would encourage a young person to become an engineer than a doctor, accountant or banker, a survey has found.
A poll conducted by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE), in which a cross-section of more than 1,000 members of the public were surveyed, has revealed that 86% would recommend engineering over three other professions.
We face a shortfall of 30,000 qualified engineers every year coming through our education system
IMechE’s Peter Finegold
However, 80% also said they would encourage a young person to become a doctor.
That is compared with 56% for accountancy and 36% for banking.
Peter Finegold, head of education and skills at the IMechE, said the results of the poll were both encouraging and surprising.
“We face a shortfall of 30,000 qualified engineers every year coming through our education system.
“This result suggests, however, that basic demand is there and that the public already has some understanding of the extraordinary diverse and valuable careers available in engineering,” he said.
The IMechE said its new research, ‘Big Ideas in Engineering Education’, would consider “radical new thinking” to boost the number of people pursuing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers.
The report is set for release later this year.
