Investing in the future today

In a recent post for The Engineer titled “The importance of engineering education for young women,”?the author Megan Miller, Director of Product Marketing at Deltek, specialists in delivering project software solutions, describes her excitement at working in her field:

“Each day, I’m able to support project-based businesses to realise digital transformation. I love the variety of my job. Working at Deltek is challenging and diverse, keeping me engaged and on my toes. From managing the communication and messaging for Deltek products designed for professional services firms, to being responsible for the Deltek Clarity Architecture and Engineering (A&E) Industry Study, I’m always being challenged to learn more and grow my understanding of technology and the application to the industries we serve.”

She also believes that education about opportunities in engineering should start early:

“Taking a proactive approach can unlock endless doors here and all of us in the engineering industry have to take a proactive role in this – talking to kids we know and helping them understand what we do and what other opportunities there are for them to explore.”

Megan Miller’s post was specifically targeted at encouraging women into STEM careers. As she rightly claims: “If we want more women in STEM career roles, we have to get young girls and women excited about the possibilities.”?

But similar efforts should be made to attract potential male engineers as well. We need to invest time and effort to encourage enthusiasm among young people of both sexes about the STEM environment and the possibilities for them of future careers in science, engineering, technology and manufacturing.

A range of opportunities can open up

In one of the recent of its many consistently positive contributions about UK manufacturing posted on the social media channel X (which we all used to know as Twitter but which has now been rebranded by its owner Elon Musk) @Jefferson_MFG made the following comment:

“We don’t make anything anymore? With an annual output of ￡183 billion, the UK is the 9th largest manufacturer in the world. 2.5million people are employed in this vital sector. Caterham, Smith & Nephew, Hill Helicopters, Munro, Tata, Sheffield Forgemasters, Wren, Eurostampa, McMurtry, Crown, Etex, Stannah, SeAH Wind, JDR Cable Systems, Ciner, Danish Crown, Oatly, Siemens, TopHat, Brompton, Envision AESC and Rolls-Royce are just some of the manufacturers set to open new factories in the UK. #UKmfg”

This reflects the wide range of companies that have chosen the UK as their manufacturing base, with extensive potential opportunities for those that choose STEM careers.

Major technological advances being made

In a previous ANR Manufacturing post on LinkedIn, we discussed how artificial intelligence (AI) was having transformational effects on engineering and manufacturing. We also singled out this excerpt from Forbes Magazine as being particularly significant:

“Importantly, rather than replacing human workers, a priority for many organizations is doing this in a way that augments human abilities and enables us to work more safely and efficiently.

“Today, the concept of AI technology in factories goes far beyond the robot-filled workplaces that have been a feature of industries since the 1960s to encompass smart, connected manufacturing plants where humans and machines work together, and data and analytics enable better predictions and decision-making at every stage of the process.”

There have been a number of concerns raised that the adoption of AI might progressively replace skilled jobs in the future. However, we believe that the positive view that the Forbes post has taken is both realistic and exciting for those in working in the multiple and various branches of engineering and manufacturing.

Contributing towards Net Zero

In its report “Engineering a Net Zero Energy System,” IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) declares that:?

“Net Zero is arguably the largest engineering project undertaken by humankind. Most of the technologies to achieve this transition already exist, and some existing energy technologies will still have a place. However, there are many challenges in making these technologies robust, reliable, and cost-effective. We need to accelerate our efforts, create market demand, release cash, build up new skills and engage in a massive scale-up programme for this to occur.”

Among the measures it will be taking to support this massive undertaking, IMechE includes: “Work to develop the education, skills and qualifications needed to under-pin Net Zero.”

For the environmentally conscious young people of today, the chance of contributing positively towards this ambitious global project could be very appealing.

Learning on the job

Over the years as a precision engineering and electronics company, ANR Manufacturing has come to increasingly believe in the value of apprenticeships. Learning on the job can lay the foundation for opportunities created from a variety of potentially transferrable skills. This was notable in Megan Miller’s comments to The Engineer described in the introduction to this post.

We regularly run courses for apprentices at ANR and have found the experience has been hugely beneficial to both these potential future engineers and technicians and to the skilled team at our workplace in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire. We have found that ideas and problem solving flourish and the teamwork is mutually highly motivating.

Our field depends on the highest levels of precision and quality, so it is demanding. But our apprentices have consistently risen to the occasion. We cover a wide range of projects across a variety of industrial sectors, including the production of components for wind turbines.?

This gives our apprentices the knowledge that, aided by our technological resources, that the skills they learn could take them to a career path that could both benefit them financially and reward their ambitions to make positive changes to the world around them.

The UK government has posted case studies of how being an apprentice has affected young people who have taken that path to a new career. This is a quote by one of them:

"Being an apprentice has been the best time of my life, I've been able to do things that I'm passionate about. I've been able to meet so many different people. I've built up my confidence. It's been the best experience it could have been."

Alim was describing his great time as an apprentice with Channel 4 TV. However, although we may be biased, we believe that being an apprentice in precision engineering and electronics has similar rewards to offer!?