24 . Glasgow Business January/February 2013


of the Glasgow Economic Commission in late 2010 – which has brought together the business leaders from across a wide range of sectors. Trough this activity, the engineering sector has had an opportunity to redefine itself in terms of a much broader opportunity in Glasgow.


Does manufacturing still have a role to play?


Absolutely. One of the highest impact things we export from Glasgow and Scotland is knowhow – and manufacturing knowhow, design expertise and advanced engineering technologies are essential parts of that. What Glasgow can start to


reclaim is a globally leading position in manufacturing and innovative engineering. We are beginning to see governments across Europe, North America and the Far East recognise that engineering, technology and manufacturing provide a major platform for economic growth.


How important are renewables and the low carbon industries?


In 2011, Te Economist published an article that identified Glasgow as a genuine low-carbon industry and innovation hub, and within six months of that piece, HSBC identified Glasgow as one of the Super Green Cities in the UK. Tat wasn’t a coincidence, because what they recognised was this convergence of policy drivers and our industry/academic capability to de-carbonise industry, and to create a low-carbon economy, which has come via commitments from the Scotish Government, the UK Government and from EU directives.


EDUCATION SPOTLIGHT: Engineering Academy


Professor Sir Jim McDonald said: “The University of Strathclyde is working with all of the colleges in Glasgow as well as those around the Clyde – 11 colleges that are now becoming four regional colleges. What we’re seeking to do is find pathways for college leavers directly into engineering programmes at Strathclyde, meeting a committed industry demand. “This programme will be up and running in 2013, and we’ve had a fantastic response from our industry partners in the energy, manufacturing, aerospace, marine and defence sectors. So what we’re seeing here is a real industry effort, not just to attract young people into these disciplines, but


also to create jobs for these people at the end of their programmes. The initiative is funded by the Scottish Funding Council and well as engaged with Skills Development Scotland and the schools. I am confident that it will be seen as an exemplar, not just in Scotland, but also across the UK. “We have also connected with Glasgow City


Council’s Director for Education Services, Maureen McKenna, and Scottish Engineering regarding a programme called ‘Primary Engineer’. What we currently hope to do in the city, which is a fantastic part of the story, is to connect the education department’s strategy – include the new Green Energy Academy – and the Primary Engineer


programme, with the Engineering Academy. This can provide an integrated route all the way through to university degrees and the employer base. This will establish a unique pipeline that goes from primary school, through secondary, through college and university and into jobs.”


Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre supports fundamental and applied research in forming and forging


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