This week, the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), is calling on young people and their parents to visit the exciting venues taking part in its inaugural Engineering Open House Day.
It will form part of the IET’s Engineer a Better World campaign which aims to showcase the exciting engineering career opportunities in the industry that are open to young people.
The IET is working with a number of high profile venues where engineers play a central role in the running of their organisations, including: the Royal Opera House, The Brunel Museum in London, The Everyman Theatre in Liverpool and the Building Research Establishment (BRE) in Hertfordshire.
With demand for engineers far exceeding supply, and with only 6 percent of them in the UK today being women, the IET is hoping to inspire a new generation of engineers through the Engineering Open House events.
All of the organisations involved will give young people and their parents the chance to explore the variety of stimulating and creative careers in modern engineering by putting on tours, workshops and talks from inspirational engineers. Additionally, guests will have the chance to ask engineers about their career experiences, what they actually do and why the industry appealed to them.
William Webb, IET President, said: “As recent research for the launch of the IET Engineer a Better World campaign shows, parents do not know enough about engineering and the career opportunities it holds for their children – this meaning that children could potentially be missing out on learning about the rewarding roles on offer. That’s why we’ve launch our inaugural Engineering Open House Day as an exciting way of educating children and their parents about the vast range of opportunities which engineering has to offer.
“It’s amazing to see such a diverse mix of organisations coming together to support the initiative. Children and their parents will get the chance to find out what life is like as an engineer, discover how things work and explore the abundance of exciting jobs within the industry. We hope this will be a big step in inspiring the next generation of engineers.”
Colin Maxwell, Royal Opera House Production Manager who will be leading the backstage tours, said: “We’re thrilled to be a part of the IET’s Engineering Open House Day. We wouldn’t be able to put on our world-class performances without the vital work that our engineers perform and they are often unsung heroes. Parents and children will be able to explore backstage at the Royal Opera House and learn about the engineering aspects of the venue, which you might not usually associate with this industry. We hope that our theatre will capture the imagination of our guests and show them sides of engineering they may not have ever thought of.”
Find out more about the events on offer and how to register for a place at the IET’s Engineering Open House Day at: https://www.engineer-a-better-world.org/engineering-open-house-day
