Clarke, who delivered his Presidential Address this week at the ICE’s headquarters, called for more action to inspire the civil engineers of the future, who can meet needs of the 21st century.
“Minor infrastructure maintenance, right through to delivering major future projects such as HS2 and whole scale restructuring of our energy infrastructure over the next 10-20 years, cannot happen without engineers.” he said.
The Royal Academy of Engineering estimates that 820,000 science, engineering and technology professionals will be needed by 2020 - with 80% of these required in engineering. There are currently around 50,000 civil engineers in the UK with around 5,000 graduates joining civil engineering degree programmes in the UK every year. This year saw a 12% drop in the number of civil engineering course applications.
Clarke added: “The road ahead is challenging, but it is also filled with opportunity at every turn. We – the industry – must do more to engage with young people, improve their understanding of civil engineering and inspire them to consider it as a career. It’s the only way we as a profession can continue to deliver the infrastructure that society so badly needs.”
Clarke encouraged celebrating and showcasing our country’s most breathtaking infrastructure projects to capture the imagination of young people and show the diversity of civil engineering.
He talked of the London 2012 Olympic Park, where civil engineers, working alongside other built environment professionals, designed and built the venues, built 30 new bridges, restored 8.35km of waterways, and built 1.8km of sewer tunnels underneath the site. They also oversaw the demolition of over 200 buildings, the cleaning of more than two million tonnes of soil and the protection of wildlife and plant species.
He also spoke of inspiring engineering feats around the UK such as the Forth Bridge, the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, The Antrim Coast Road and the Cardiff Millennium Stadium.
But he stressed that capturing the imagination of young people required engagement at an early age to ensure they are steered down the right educational path in order to pursue engineering.
“Young people will have started to make choices which affect their career path at the age of 11 - more than 10 years before they graduate.” he said.
“ICE has a dedicated under-19s programme which includes mentoring, competitions and direct engagement with schools to promote civil engineering as a career choice - and importantly, the curriculum choices that need to be made pre-19 to become an engineer.
“But we all can and should do more. I actually believe it’s our graduates, acting as STEM ambassadors, who have the most potential to inspire the next generation as they represent an achievable position and exude the energy youngsters can associate with.
“There are only 400 civil engineering ambassadors – staggeringly, that equates to only one for every two thousand 11 year olds. I hope to see more young engineers come forward to take on this rewarding role and help inspire the next generation of civil engineers.”
Listen to the recording of Barry Clarke's Presidential Address.
Barry Clarke Biography
Barry Clarke, Professor of Civil Engineering Geotechnics at Leeds and former Head of Civil Engineering at Newcastle University, was first appointed as a lecturer in 1984 after running a company for a number of years that specialised in in situ testing developed from his research at Cambridge University. His interest in characterisation of engineering soils has led to commercial equipment. He is now investigating the wider field of construction processes with the aim of producing sustainable solutions to the challenges facing the industry. His interest in the commercialisation of research led to his appointment as Dean of Business Development for science and engineering at Newcastle in 2003.
This interest in commercialisation has strongly influenced his teaching which is to help students place civil engineering in context and prepare them for the world of work; but at the same time challenge them to understand the role of the civil engineer in society. These themes have been embedded in his teaching which ranged from the underlying engineering and scientific principles through the solution of engineering problems to demonstrating a commitment to professional standards and the obligations of civil engineers to society.
Barry has been involved in professional matters since 1989 when he was selected to be a member of the British Geotechnical Society Committee which merged with the Ground Board to form the British Geotechnical Association. He represented the ICE on the working group that created this affiliated society and was appointed Chairman in 2001. He served on the editorial panel of Geotechnique during that period.
In 1995 he joined the Committee of the Northumbria Branch of ICE North and was elected Chairman in 1998 and Chairman of ICE North in 2002. In 1992 he created the Northern Geotechnical Group, a speciality group of the ICE; in 2002 he was elected Chairman of the Ground Forum, the umbrella organisation of the professional institutions and trade organisations with interests in ground engineering; and in 2003 he was asked to set up the North East Branch of the Construction Industry Council (CIC).
He is currently a member of the Joint Board of Moderators where he is Chairman of the Further Learning Committee; represents higher education on the Board of CITB ConstructionSkills; represents higher education on ConstructionSkills, the sector skills council for the construction industry; is a member of CIC Executive where he represents Lifelong Learning; is immediate Past President of the Engineering Professors Council; is a non executive director of TTL; and is a member of the Engineering Strategic Advisory Team of EPSRC.
About ICE
ICE is a leading source of professional expertise in transport, water supply and treatment, flood management, waste and energy. Established in 1818, it has over 80,000 members throughout the world. ICE’s vision is to place civil engineering the heart of society, delivering sustainable development through knowledge, skills and professional expertise. The ICE has long worked with the government of the day to help it to achieve its objectives, and has worked with industry to ensure that construction and civil engineering remain major contributors to the UK economy.
Disclaimer: Any views or opinions expressed on any matters by the presenters or participants during or in connection with these presentations are solely the views of the authors of the respective comments and/or opinions and must not be taken to be the views of ICE or any other organisation. ICE makes no representations, warranties or assurances concerning any information provided in these presentations and accepts no responsibility for the content and/or accuracy.
_____________________________________________