Institution of Mechanical Engineers

The programme for the paid-for technical conferences by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has been announced taking place at Advanced Engineering 2016, the UK’s largest annual engineering trade show. Running live on the show floor on 2nd-3rd November at Birmingham’s NEC the two, one-day conferences, will focus on the aerospace and automotive sectors.

  Engineering students from Loughborough have beaten other undergraduate teams to be crowned overall winners of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Challenge.

The President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Jon Hilton, said in response to Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) announcing plans for a record attempt in October 2017:

Jon Hilton CEng FIMechE from Northamptonshire has become the 131st President of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He commented: “I am delighted to be taking on this role and in my year as President I want to concentrate on developing professional engineers, as well as encouraging those who have already chosen engineering as a career to make the most of their choice.

A report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers is calling for a major rethink about the role of schools and colleges in promoting engineering. The ‘Big Ideas: the future of engineering in schools’ report, supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering, reflects the views of leading engineering education experts and key stakeholders such as employers, parents and pupils.

A new public survey by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers has found that 78% of the public think engineering would be a good career choice for a woman, compared to just 4% who said it was not. The survey, commissioned to coincide with International Women’s Day, found that 86% of respondents would support their school-aged daughter if she decided to become an engineer.

Peter Finegold, Head of Education and Skills at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to Engineering UK’s The State of Engineering report:

The UK will miss out on the chance to capture £40bn of the global space market and an additional 100,000 jobs if Government and industry does not address the problem of restrictive regulations, barriers to investment, the growing skills shortages in engineering and science and fragmented collaboration between stakeholders, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Dr Jenifer Baxter, Head of Energy and Environment, at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to the UK Government decision to guarantee the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant:

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is launching a new fund, Stephenson LP, aimed at helping companies overcome the investment hurdle between Research and Development and bringing a product to market.

Making parents, teachers and school-children more aware of the real value of vocational routes into engineering could hold the key to greater social mobility, according to a new report by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is today calling for Government and industry to ensure major infrastructure projects and more household products are designed to cater for older users. The recent report, 21st Century Engineering for an Ageing Population, makes five key recommendations about how engineering and engineers could play a role in meeting the needs of the increasing number of older people in the UK.

A jet engine created by the inventor of the turbojet engine, Sir Frank Whittle, was presented with an Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Engineering Heritage Award at a special event on Friday 8 May. Please see attached for photographs of the event.

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport and Manufacturing at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said in response to today’s UK Budget:

135 teams comprised of thousands of the world’s best young engineers from 28 different countries are preparing for the world’s largest student motorsport event. Run by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Formula Student challenges student engineers to design, build and race a single seat racing car in one year.

Stephen Tetlow MBE, Chief Executive, IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) has responded to EngineeringUK’s 'The State of Engineering 2015' report. He commented: “This report shows the UK is facing a cliff-edge. It provides sobering statistics on the drastic shortage of engineers the UK faces. Every politician and policy-maker must understand the messages it is sending.