Mind the gap

"Engineering is a catalyst for engagement, attainment, fuelling curiosity in the minds of the young, development of social skills and vitally, driving aspirations,” says Susan Scurlock, Chief Executive and Founder of Primary Engineer. "Assumptions abound when talking about engineering, education and the next generation – girls aren’t interested, teachers are scared. Suspend your assumptions, girls are interested in engineering, teachers aren’t scared. After 10 years of bringing engineering to education we have launched the Institution of Primary Engineers and the Institution of Secondary Engineers.”

It’s interesting that the fortunes of Engineering in the UK have followed those of the sport of cricket – yes really! – and many of the solutions are common. Cricket is perceived as unfashionable, uninspiring and not suited to the needs of modern day youngsters. And cricketers were all getting older together, with very few young players coming in to replace them. Sound familiar?

And so the cricketing authorities started to take the game into schools – importantly, not just secondary schools, but into the new territory of state primaries. New forms of the game were devised which were shorter and more inclusive, so that the kids could have fun.

Now, with the help of the Chance to Shine programme, cricket is taught in many state school primary schools, either during or after curriculum hours. In Greenwich, we coach in 64 of the borough’s 66 primary schools (two are not interested), and this has led to an avalanche of young players – with many girls - coming into the local clubs.

We still face the problems of drop-off later in the school career, due to school transitions, exams, other social opportunities and other factor. But at least the more who start, the more make it through to the adult game.

Drop-off has also been recognised by Scurlock and her Institutions have addressed it by ensuring that each member has their own unique membership record, enabling contact to be maintained across boundaries and time. They have even come up with the concept of Fellows. Imagine being a Fellow of the Institution of Primary Engineers at just 9 years old!

A problem which Engineering will also face will be an age gap. In cricket now, instead of a bunch of old men, we have that same bunch of old men and lots of young cricketers – male and female - aged 14 to 25, but very little in-between. This leads to a shortage of "middle management” people – the ones who run the business side of the clubs. Engineering will have to confront this problem too, otherwise there will be no middle managers with an understanding of engineering – and we all know what happens then.