THE engineering sector in Warrington is in rude health.
Working at the high technology, high value end of the market it is particularly the nuclear industry which stands out as beacon of excellence. In fact it could be argued that it leads the world.
However there are concerns about the sustainability of UK engineering, a critical part of the economy.
There remains nationally a shortage of suitably qualified and experienced engineers, from technicians to top-level researchers.
As part of the remit of the Warrington Skills Commission the group is considering how to attract young people into engineering in Warrington.
To remain competitive there needs to be a constant flow of suitably qualified and skilled staff into the profession. Engineering still suffers from an image problem.
Some people still see engineering as a dirty, manually-intensive factory environment, or confuse the term ‘engineer’ with being a mechanic. In truth many engineering environments are now fast moving, involve cutting edge technology and as always require a great deal of creativity and problem solving ability, with qualifications on a par to lawyers and doctors.
So if we are to protect the future of Warrington’s industry, how can we make the word ‘engineering’ ‘sexy?’
Lawrence Bellamy is associate dean at the University of Chester's Padgate campus and writes a regular column for the business pages.
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