Engineers in the UK under-valued: downing street online petition

[otispunkmeyer]

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/Engineer-Status/

As a recently qualified Astronautics Engineer and with 8 years experience as a Robotics Engineer I am at a point where due to the lack of respect by the Government, the media in particular the BBC, and society as a whole, I feel there is little point staying in the UK. Car mechanics,Plumbers and Electricians are now commonly referred to as Engineers and Banks now regard Engineers as non/semi skilled. With the UK falling behind most other countries in training Professional Engineers and the falling numbers of children undertaking science based subjects this can only result in a reduction in the UK?s competitiveness. I believe for the long turn prosperity of the UK and to attract students back to science subjects the Government must act decisively and introduce laws to protect Engineers such that only ?Chartered Engineers? ImechE, RAeS can use the title Engineer. This will give Engineers the same professional status in our society as doctors, lawyers similar to Europe.

i whole heartedly agree.

i know most here are in the US, but for those of you who are in the UK and possibly are engineers or interested in engineering this is for you.

engineering here has become so diluted, its not even attractive anymore....why go through all the education when at the end you're looked upon as no higher up the ladder than a mech at the local Kwik-Fit? as a result whats happening is this....

fewer and fewer people go to uni to study engineering and come out the end proper professionals. the current crop of engineers are near retirement and guess what? they have no replacements. uh oh. its going to come bite the gov in the ass hard if nothing is done. saddly knowing labour, their answer will be to employ immigrants instead.

its painfully true....the girl who cuts my hair thinks im going to university to become a kevin webster.... its sad (kenvin webster is a coronation street character who has the job of the local mechanic on the street) and she asked why i didnt just go down to the local apprentice place and do engineering there

the lack of respect and professional status is also reflected in salaries. some engineers salaries are down right shocking.

one day the big wigs, who sit in their plush offices, mouthing off some BS in a pointless meeting will realise that actually....his company cant go no where without professional engineers, and when he goes looking, there wont be any.

 

[jetsetter]

Tell him to come over here. Engineers of all types are in high demand. While people may be complaining about the economy there has been a huge boom during the past few years in California and all around the US. If you are a civil engineer you are guaranteed a job. At this point there are more positions than people to fill them.

 

[vRS]

I think ill start a Downing Street petition and see how far I can get with it........ a good one to start is that my street sign is spelt with an "E" at the end which it shouldn't have. Face it the government don't give a dam.

 

[Blind_Io]

We really need to put a stop to all these online petitions, especially if they are going to a government organization. Most have standards for petitions - they have to be in a specific format and they have to be verifiable.

I vote we nix these kinds of threads from now on, but that is just my opinion.

 

[Cobol74]

We really need to put a stop to all these online petitions, especially if they are going to a government organization. Most have standards for petitions - they have to be in a specific format and they have to be verifiable.

We should start an on-line petition to stop on-line petitions.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

you have to get 750,000 names before they are even obliged to look at it.

some petitions really are pointless, but this one just isnt. engineers should be respectable, professional members of society and at the moment they just arent

 

[Cobol74]

I agree with you on that actually. Dad was a Civil Engineer before he retired. Face the facts, when arts graduates run the country who come from privileged backgrounds (TB went to the Scottish equivalent of Eton BTW) you know what to expect. The last PM who was not an arts grad was Mrs T.

 

[Jay]

Tell him to come over here. Engineers of all types are in high demand. While people may be complaining about the economy there has been a huge boom during the past few years in California and all around the US. If you are a civil engineer you are guaranteed a job. At this point there are more positions than people to fill them.

Agreed! We need more engineers, less white collar business boys.

engineers should be respectable, professional members of society and at the moment they just arent

Agreed again. My father was a Civil Engineer for the State of Wisconsin, and though his job was not glamorous, his road and bridge designs and design techniques are still used and copied nation wide after 40 years.