UK parents support teens' engineering ambitions

It has revealed that three quarters of parents would recommend a career in engineering to their children. Almost as many (73%) view engineering careers as desirable even though half (49%) admit they don't know a lot about what engineers do. Nearly half (47%) of secondary school children would consider a career in engineering, the research shows, with 29% of them girls. However, only a third (34%) says they know what to do next in order to become an engineer. Schools may not have the information needed to support the engineering ambitions of their students. More than half (56%) of GCSE science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) teachers surveyed have been asked for advice about engineering careers by their pupils in the last year, yet only a third (36%) felt confident giving such advice. Almost one in five (17%) said they felt a career in engineering was undesirable. The findings reveal further disparities between teacher attitudes and pupil ambitions. 42% of teachers believe pay is the most important factor to pupils when making career choices, when in fact only 15% of pupils cite pay as most important. Choosing a career in something that they are interested in is the biggest influence for teens' career choices (42% ), and parents agree (24% ). In a separate study of engineers under 30 by EngineeringUK, a quarter (23%) of those surveyed said they didn't consider engineering as a possible career choice when they were at school or college and 15% were discouraged by a teacher. 42% of those that didn't consider an engineering career would have changed their mind if they had received better careers advice, information or inspiration and 21% if they had known what engineering careers involve. Paul Jackson, chief executive of EngineeringUK, said: "We're delighted to see that parents are so supportive of their children's engineering ambitions at a time when their talents are much-needed. However, the findings reveal a worrying lack of school support for young people. We urge schools to use the excellent Tomorrow's Engineers careers resources and website to inspire their students. "At the same time, we call on engineering employers of every size and sector across the UK not only to give schools access to high-quality careers information and resources but to open their doors to show young people just how exciting a career as a 21st Century engineer can be."