Design Ambassador s Reception


expense of our support to ‘traditional’ engineering.


The image of our profession has long since suffered in the UK, as infamously exemplified by Kevin Webster topping a poll as our most famous engineer. As invaluable and worthy a service as our motor repair industry provides, it seems disappointing that more innovative projects and enduring legacies left by Messrs Watt, Brunel and Dyson don’t seem to vie for the accolade held by Coronation Street’s resident mechanic. Perhaps a moot point is to consider the potential revision of the term ‘engineering’ to reflect the content of ‘ingenuity’ (rather than its ‘engine’ connotations) as is the case in other European languages.


That this is an exciting time for engineering is in no doubt. Recent rhetoric from our government and opposition alike has championed the return of the UK to operating primarily as a designer and constructor of great things. At last money is following mouth in recent initiatives such as the Queen Elizabeth Prize, as well as private sector projects like JCB’s Academy and the James Dyson Foundation.


In one of my early appointments I was fortunate to be invited along to the S&B Automotive Academy in Bristol, where we were entertained by a hugely inspiring talk by Richard Noble on the very admirable ‘Bloodhound SSC’. Here, a real life modern day example of engineering pushing the boundaries of what is feasible, in a project made transparent to anyone interested. And interested were the many apprentices and students gathered.


A similar level of enthusiasm was evident at the National Engineering Construction Recruitment amongst the many younger faces (than mine, at least!) who approached the Engineering Council’s ‘hub’ at the show. Here, it was also good to learn about the complementary and contrasting merits of the other 35 professional engineering


institutions and compare notes on their experiences. The future entrants to


engineering appeared, every one to a man and woman, to be genuinely enthused at the prospect of embarking on a career where projects seem prolific. They see British projects such as Bloodhound SSC, the engineering, logistics and hopefully even athletic triumph of the Olympic Games and Norman Foster’s recent overtures on designing the world’s largest airport and train stations on an island in the Thames as exciting plans for the near future in which they can make a difference.


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I believe we should be riding this wave and using it to remind those already working in these domains that they too have a valuable part to play, as recognised in their continuous professional development. While the pursuit may be less mandatory than the equivalent for our contemporaries in accountancy, marketing and human resources, the benefits of proceeding with CPD are part of the message I now have to drive home to prospective applicants.


But of course this is not a solitary crusade and so I appeal for your help. We can all be ambassadors in championing the role of the engineer in modern society; endeavouring to stay in touch with latest developments industry wide, again as formalised through CPD, and entering into discussion and debate, challenging popular misconceptions, with those with whom we interact on a daily basis.


Already I have had contact with a wealth of enthusiastic individuals involved in both academic and industrial circles and look forward to meeting a whole lot more. To any such bodies who may harbour engineers involved in any aspect of design who would benefit from learning more about the IED and what we promote, please get in touch and I hope to be able to work with you to help our shared cause. blair@ied.org.uk twitter: @IEDAmbassador


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I aim to enthuse young students as to the benefits of design engineering and the excitement that can be had from it


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