IET in the news
We’ve been hitting the headlines across a range of media outlets.
Autumn Budget
On 30 October, Chancellor Rachel Reeves made the first Labour budget announcements for 14 years, dedicating a large proportion of the funds to infrastructure projects. However, even with the extra funding, we believe the UK needs to address the skills gap that is very much present across all the different forms of infrastructure.
Hitting the business and economic news, we worked with our policy team to highlight the importance of an industrial strategy that maximises the potential of technology and digitalisation for the public good, to deliver a more productive and resilient economy. Crucially, to take full advantage of emerging technologies, we need a skilled workforce that can fully utilise them.
Our President, Warren East, was interviewed by LBC News and CNBC’s Squawk Box ahead of the Budget, where he spoke about industrial strategy, infrastructure, skills, innovation and tech. Our post-speech response was featured in several key trade publications, including New Civil Engineer.
Engineers are second most trusted profession
We worked with Ipsos to include engineers in the 2024 Veracity Index Survey, which has tracked Britons’ trust in key professions since the 1980s.
Out of a list of 26 different professions, engineers are the second most trusted in Great Britain, putting them just ahead of doctors (88%) and being topped only by nurses (94%).
The results show that nine in 10 people (90%) across the country trust engineers to tell them the truth and trust in engineers is almost equal across genders, with just a four percentage point difference between men and women.
We received coverage from a range of engineering and technology publications, including The Engineer.
WISE words
We’ve brought the Women into Science and Engineering (WISE) Campaign into the IET, working more collaboratively to significantly move the dial on gender diversity in STEM. Together, we’re increasing our impact and driving forward a stronger platform which builds on the leading products and services we both deliver.
We worked with The Guardian and its Careers in Science and Healthcare campaign to showcase the work we’re doing to highlight the opportunities for women in science professions and the breadth of options available when choosing a career in the science and healthcare industries.
Our article was featured in The Guardian’s careers section.
Sustainable AI
We launched a new consumer campaign at the end of last year that looked at the public’s use of AI and the environmental implications of its daily use.
On the second anniversary of ChatGPT on 30 November 2024, we highlighted how many UK adults are using the technology, and what for, all to raise awareness of the technology’s environmental impact.
We worked with our experts to speak to the media and government about the research and provided tips for consumers on how we can use it more efficiently and sustainably. Our experts spoke to a range of radio stations, from BBC Radio Bristol and Radio News Hub to Connections Radio and the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
Centre stage for YWE finalists
Our Young Woman Engineer (YWE) of the Year Awards ceremony showcases the very best engineers, at the top of their professional game.
Each year we work with our winners and finalists to raise their profile as important role models to the next generation, all whilst demonstrating the breadth of careers engineering and technology has to offer. Two of our 2024 finalists were featured in The Times and The Sun.
Our 2024 Young Woman Engineer of the Year Marisa Kurimbokus is a chartered engineer with a career spanning over a decade in product design and systems engineering within the automotive and power electronics industries, including Jaguar Land Rover, Triumph Motorcycles and Lyra Electronics. She spoke to The Times about the best things about working in the sector.
2024 finalist Erin Lowe is an apprentice electrical engineer at Yamazaki Mazak UK, specialising in the CV5-500 production line, where she focuses on the electrical assembly and adjustment of machines.
Erin spoke to The Sun about why more people should consider engineering as a career option, what more needs to be done to ensure sector growth and how we can support young people entering the profession.
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