Electronic Specifier

The pandemic has hit many industries hard, not least construction (the fall in output was the largest since records began in January 2010). Construction work has been allowed to continue in the various national lockdowns in Scotland and England - with some workers on-site, such as labourers and site managers, while other key roles have worked remotely e.g. engineers, surveyors, and architects.

It’s not been an easy ride for any industry in recent times - think Brexit and a global pandemic! - but is the future of the UK construction industry finally beginning to look more positive? Here we look at whether the recent easing of lockdown restrictions is the first step in a brighter outlook for the industry. Guest blog written by Thomas Bradley.

I’m sure by now you know I am passionate about encouraging more females into the tech sector, and we have discussed in previous columns the approaches that help the issue. One of which is encouraging more young females in and nurturing them to grow and hopefully retain them. I got the chance to speak to not one, but two young females in the technology industry and it was so refreshing to hear some positive aspects and stories of young girls not only working in tech but genuinely enjoying it.

Engineering firms across the UK are being encouraged to make 2020 a new year of success for the industry by joining forces at a ground breaking event. The East Midlands Engineering Expo will showcase some of the best businesses within the industries. It is a business to business event to help build and maintain long-term business relationships bringing together clients, contractors, consultants and many more across the country.

A MULTI award-winning company has taken its cue from nature to develop an  innovative transferable robot system which could hold the key to future engineering solutions around the world. UK company Createc collaborated with a range of businesses to develop its engineering solution as part of an £8.5m industry competition.

Edwards Engineering has successfully managed the development and installation of a £700k, new Blend Centre for Broxburn Bottlers. Incorporating tanker receivals, transfers and dispatch, large vats, and cask filling and disgorging, the project was delivered in parallel with a Bonded Warehouse development.

A fifth (18%) of engineers are holding down more than one temporary role to chase greater work-life balance and see more of their families, according to new research. The research, carried out by recruitment experts Reed Specialist Recruitment asked 5,000 UK employees about their experience of, and attitude to, temporary and contract working.

You can’t always plan for everything, because more often than not life is what happens when you’re making other plans, as John Lennon said. That certainly was the case for Dr Catherine Ramsdale, VP of Device Engineering at PragmatIC as she explained she didn’t always know what she wanted to do, and as much as she has achieved in her career, it is down to natural evolution in the industry.

As the engineering industry becomes more diverse and equal, and we see an increasing number of women within the industry, it is a great sight to see and leads me to believe that all the hard work is paying off for women. However, when you then take a look at the statistics of diversity within leadership roles in the industry this isn’t as positive. So although we have reached some level of progress, and can see the number of women in engineering on the rise, why are these women not passing through to leadership roles - is there something deterring them?

  We all talk about apprenticeships, how important they are for society, closing the skills gap and for the upcoming generation. But what about the importance of apprenticeships on digital transformation?

An important aspect in engineering is tackling the issue of human induced vibration, which is when vibrations are caused by pedestrians walking. Although swaying or unstable structures may spring to mind, the effects of human induced vibrations are pretty minor, such as discomfort in walking.

Almost three quarters of business owners in the manufacturing sector would choose to recruit an older worker than a younger candidate with exactly the same skills and experience, according to new research. In a national survey, more than a third (36%) of 1,000 SME business owners across a range of sectors including finance, healthcare, IT, manufacturing, retail and tourism said that they would sooner recruit a 55-year-old than a 24-year-old, with 72% of business owners in the manufacturing sector saying the same.

Engineers are key to helping the nation keep healthy and well - from helping find cures for cancer and keeping people safe at sea to helping dementia patients. Today marks the beginning of Tomorrow’s Engineers Week - this year it shines the light on engineers that make the world a better place.  

J. Murphy & Sons Limited (Murphy) brought Fat Media on board last year to carry out an extensive re-design of their online presence, which included several months of testing and research to help inform the design of the new website and how mechanisms could be developed for online lead generation. 

Having shown an aptitude for maths all her life, it was a natural fit for Sophie Harker, Senior Engineer in Flight Control Systems at BAE Systems, to take the STEM path in life, but it was a little trip to the US that proved the defining moment in her journey. Electronic Specifier’s Anna Flockett caught up with Harker after she was named as the IET Young Woman Engineer of the Year Award.

International engineering firm Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon has invested in a major overhaul of their online platform as part of plans to drive growth. The firm has been working with digital marketing firm Fat Media to re-design their site, and launched a new online platform which has seen enquires up by 72%.

Engineering could be one of the most poorly understood STEM careers, with new research from EngineeringUK showing that over three quarters (76%) of young people aged 11 – 19 do not know a lot about what those working in engineering do – and this could have far-reaching implications for all of us.

A drive to showcase how engineers help people’s health and wellbeing is underway as plans for Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2019 (4-8th November 2019, #TEWeek19) have been revealed. At the heart of the Week will be a “Big Assembly” where around 50,000 young people are expected to take part in the same school assembly at the same time. The Big Assembly will feature inspirational engineers on a mission to improve people’s health and the nation’s wellbeing.

Here at Electronic Specifier we are always keen to champion female engineers and to highlight the growing skills gap in STEM related subjects, made worse by the significant gender disparity in technology, science and maths.

For years now women have had big battles to fight when it comes to equality, and have in more recent times have really been showing that everything men can do, women can too. We discuss regularly in this column, about the struggles women face in the engineering and technology industry, and it is nice to see so many events and organisations doing their bit for women.