£2 million funding pledge to boost Engineering Technician campaign
Lord Sainsbury’s Gatsby Charitable Foundation has agreed funding of £2 million over the next two years for a joint campaign aimed to increase the status of the Engineering Technicians and register 100,000 Engineering Technicians by 2020.
The “EngTechNow” campaign - led by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) , in conjunction with the Engineering Council – was first announced by the Prime Minister in 2013, and officially launched during National Apprenticeship Week in March this year, with the support of an initial £1 million donation from the Gatsby Charitable Foundation.
The launch saw commitment from senior figures at Crossrail, global defence company BAE Systems, Bam Nuttall, Atkins and NG Bailey, to increase the number of EngTechs in their own workforce.
Nigel Fine, IET Chief Executive, said: “Increasing the pool of home grown technical skills in the UK is good for our economy, for businesses and for individuals.
"The pace of technological development in the modern workplace is creating an urgent and growing demand for higher levels of technical skill and professionalism. This initiative will help to meet that need by up-skilling and growing our own talent in the UK, rather than having to look overseas.
"More Engineering Technicians in the workforce will help us to maintain a competitive edge and boost growth in the UK economy through innovation and creativity.”
The additional £2 million pledge announced today will allow the EngTechNow campaign to go fully nationwide, helping a wider range of large and small engineering companies recognise that those who have come through vocational and apprenticeship routes can also achieve professional status as Engineering Technicians. The Gatsby Foundation has also stated its intention to continue funding the project until 2018.
The funding deal was agreed at a meeting between the chief executives of the IET, IMechE and the Engineering Council, the Director General of ICE, the Director of Science and Engineering at the Gatsby Foundation, and Lord Sainsbury.
