What advice can you give students on how to approach Semta’s challenge this year?
Keep in mind this challenge is about innovation – so make your entry stand out and tell us what’s new and different about your idea that makes it more interesting than the rest.
Remember, too, that you don’t need to limit your ambition to solving problems that we already know about; you can tackle health- and social-care challenges that might exist in the future as well. You should think about the wider context in which your innovation will be implemented: what will society and communities look like in the years to come? What will work look like?
Why should students enter this competition?
The benefits are quite clear if you look at what former winners have achieved. For example, engineering graduate Mark Goudie previously won our Energy Challenge in 2015, and now has a great career at Atkins after his idea was picked up by the organisation. These awards give the winners such a good platform from which to launch their career in science and engineering.
So what about those who enter and don’t actually win?
Even if you don’t win, entering this contest will give you valuable experience of presenting your ideas to a wider audience and thinking about their practical application – this is something employers are always saying they want to see more of in their graduate recruits.
What innovations and changes are taking place in the wider engineering sector that will affect today’s students?
Digitalisation is the watch word right now, taking place in the context of what’s being called “the fourth industrial revolution”. Semta contributed to the recently published Government report, the Made Smarter Review, which looks at the impact of digital technology – including robotics, 3D printing, and virtual and augmented reality – on the sector.
Over the next five years, the review recommends we will also need to raise the digital expertise of one million workers in industry, and shows that, within 20 years, some 90 per cent of all jobs will require digital skills.
What does this mean for students and younger employees?
Digitalisation is creating opportunities and disruption everywhere, with entrepreneurial start-ups challenging the established order in engineering – look at what delivery drones are doing to the retail sector, for instance.
These changes mean there’s going to be much greater flexibility between disciplines and roles. Younger employees entering industry now will need to be adaptable and creative in their approach. Whatever you study, you won’t stay as a process engineer or a chemical engineer or a design engineer – you’ll be simply an engineer, and you’ll need to develop your skills to fit whatever challenge you’re facing. Adaptability will be key.
What does engineering offer young people who think they’re not “top of the class” at maths or science?
Being a good engineer means having a passion for solving problems. Employers want people who can approach challenges with an open mind, and who like working with others in teams. This means that even if you’re not a whizz at science and maths, you could still have a brilliant future in engineering.
There are already a number of engineering courses that don’t have maths and physics entry requirements, such as New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMiTE) in Herefordshire. The key message here is that a career in engineering is challenging, sociable, rewarding – and definitely never boring.
Compete against the best and win £25,000
Take a look at the challenges from our six industry sponsors and submit an idea to solve one of them. If your idea is chosen as the winner, you could win a career-defining work experience programme and £25,000.
Entries must be submitted before Monday 19 February 2018.