All posts tagged: Engineering

rolls royce engineering as art

November 13, 2014
by barrie weaver
engineering / explaining engineering / image of engineering / inspiring the young / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers

Just launched at the Saatchi Gallery London…… an interesting example of how a company can make you look afresh at what it does, underlining the fine skills that go into products that may be luxurious but are, above all, superb pieces of engineering. www.insiderolls-royce.com Inside Rolls-Royce provides a unique opportunity to experience the essence of the pinnacle automotive brand in an interactive exhibition. You are invited to see some of the exquisite materials, the unrivalled technology […]

don’t knock Jony Ive’s passion

October 3, 2014
by barrie weaver
apple / career guidance / engineering heroes / explaining engineering / image of engineering / inspiring the young / jony ive / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / status of engineers / technical middle classes / the status of engineers / women in engineering

Following the recent launch of iPhone 6 and iWatch Yahoo’s Tech Columnist Rob Walker took a tilt at Jony Ive’s video presentations. Now I know they’re high profile (and much mimicked) but we should be applauding Ive’s love of engineering and the way he underlines the skills of the Apple team, not belittling it.  If only there were more such engineers around, particularly here in Ive’s home country the UK. What Jonathan underlines is that […]

so engineers ARE wired differently

August 10, 2014
by barrie weaver
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career guidance / explaining engineering / golden circle / image of engineering / inspiring the young / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / simon sinek / social classes / start with why / technical middle classes / women in engineering

When it comes to solving problems engineers are geniuses. Our government and society looks to them to provide solutions to the big issues of the day, be they global warming, power generation, communications, infrastructure and many more. So with such a reputation it’s surprising that there is one dilemma beyond the capabilities of this select group of resourceful thinkers.   “How to attract the young to join their ranks?” Engineers work around systems, facts and figures […]

women don’t talk engineering

May 25, 2014
by barrie weaver
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career guidance / engineering heroes / explaining engineering / image of engineering / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / the status of engineers / women in engineering

If the world of public speaking is an indicator of public interests then women and engineering just don’t mix.  Women Speakers has a roster of guest speakers upon which to call. 293 highly articulate women able to present and discuss diverse subjects across 109 categories –  from art and history to gardening, education, fashion, health, business etc.  Yet nowhere does an engineer or engineering feature.  Granted there are commentators with a science background but their […]

young women who love engineering

April 29, 2014
by barrie weaver
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career guidance / engineering heroes / explaining engineering / image of engineering / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / the status of engineers / women in engineering

Engineering envelops every aspect of our lives, yet here in Britain it is much undervalued by a huge percentage of the population. According to a study by the Robert Bosch Group only 23% of the young think Engineering is of any importance to our economy. So why aren’t the young, and girls in particular, being attracted into Engineering? Last year only 400 girls completed engineering apprenticeships, whilst 58,600 studied Health and Social Care. The image of engineers as greasy […]

dyson; the example to follow

January 23, 2014
by barrie weaver
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engineering heroes / explaining engineering / image of engineering / shortage of engineers / women in engineering

      News today that James Dyson is planning to invest £250M in a new R&D facility. Creating the building and facility is one challenge; finding the engineers to fill it is another.     “It will be impossible to find the additional 3,000 engineers needed unless the Government makes engineering a more attractive career choice”, said the entrepreneur. “As a country, we need an extra 87,000 engineers a year to meet demand.”    […]

a new president

January 20, 2014
by barrie weaver
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engineering heroes / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / the status of engineers / women in engineering

My congratulations  to Dame Ann Dowling on becoming the first female president of the Royal Academy of Engineering. I concur with her that there is no reason why there shouldn’t be more women in Engineering, but am slightly worried that she can’t see why there aren’t.  One of the key reasons is that our engineering community is very poor at communicating what they do and why they do it to the general public. With the exception […]

the importance of making things

January 16, 2014
by barrie weaver
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career guidance / engineering heroes / explaining engineering / image of engineering / royal academy of engineering / shortage of engineers / the status of engineers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAFaNXo2jTM ‘Why would anyone in their right mind choose a career in engineering when effort versus return clearly favours banking, law, politics or medicine’   states David Watson in his letter to the Times January 8. Well life’s not all about money as Stephen Bayley explains.  Making things is hugely gratifying to the individual but also to society at large. The great changes to the way we live were not created by bankers, lawyers or politicians, but […]

an engineering hero!

November 29, 2013
by barrie weaver
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engineering heroes / the status of engineers

I spent nearly 2 hours chatting to Sir David McMurtry, founder of Renishaw earlier this week. The engineering community often complains that it has no heroes to be lauded in the eyes of the greater public. Yet if ever we had such hero it is Sir David.   From humble beginnings he has built a business with a global reputation in its field. In the last 10 years alone Renishaw has exported over £2 billion […]

lack of female role models in engineering

October 16, 2013
by barrie weaver
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explaining engineering / women in engineering

  Belinda Parmar cites the lack of female engineering role models in her upbringing. Whilst I understand her point the truth is that here in the UK there is lack of role models, be they male or female, for engineering and technology. If you were to ask the man or woman in the street ‘How many UK engineering businesses you can name?’ – you’d be lucky if they knew 2 or 3. Likewise, ‘How many […]