A Prestigious Day for UK Engineering
Today the Prime Minister David Cameron attended two engineering events, that have promoted the engineering industry.
The first was the launch of the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. This is a new global award which celebrates outstanding advances in engineering that have a benefit to humanity, with a £1 million prize. The prize is run by The Royal Academy of Engineering and will be awarded every other year in the name of Her Majesty The Queen. The prize is supported by several engineering companies, and the backing of the UK government shows how seriously they want to focus the spotlight on the engineering community.
The second was the official opening of the McLaren Production Centre, a purpose built facility at McLaren’s headquarters in Woking. This will help transform McLaren Automotive into a high(er) volume sports car manufacturer, with 4,500 cars produced by the company per year by 2014.
Photo Credit: McLaren Automotive
The design of the building itself (by award winning architect Foster and parters) reflects the company, which has been ‘built on the founding principles of good design and solid, seamlessly efficient engineering and manufacturing’. McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis also explained his vision for a ‘crucial recalibration of [the] UK’, based around British industry rather than the financial sector. Personally I was particularly glad to hear that Dennis brought STEM graduates to the forefront by emphasising that the industry provides a ‘worthwhile career path’.
David Cameron also made a speech at the event emphasising the achievements of British engineering, and looking forward to the future, which is indeed bright.
Photo credit: McLaren Automotive
As I write this, the BBC 10 o’clock news has a piece on engineering showing both the prize and the McLaren Production Centre. It’s great to see British engineering firmly in the spotlight 
I am a vehicle performance engineer working in F1 after graduating from Oxford Brookes University in 2009 with an MEng in Motorsport Engineering. As an Associate member of the IMechE, a member of the Women’s Engineering Society and a STEM Ambassador, I’d like to help raise the profile of engineering.
The challenge now is to see whether or not we can keep engineering in the spotlight!
And whether or not politicians maintain their focus on growing STEM, engineering and manufacturing, or just move on thinking they’ve done a good job… or is that just a cynical suggestion?
Haha Rob, a cynical suggestion maybe, but quite likely I fear! I hope the Prize can keep bringing the focus back onto the industry, even if the interest of politicians wanes.
Good, glad it’s not just me thinking that way!