An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

96A CHRONICLE OF THE ENGINEERING COUNCILIn 1994 the tenth anniversary of the founding of WISE and its outstanding successes werecelebrated with conferences in Birmingham and Wales and an essay competition for girls insecondary schools. In 1995 Baroness Platt of Writtle accepted the EngC’s invitation to bePatron of the WISE campaign. Lady Platt had been a co-founder of WISE in 1984 and fromthen a constant and active supporter. David Hunt, Science Minister, and Gillian Sheppard,Education Secretary, were given demonstrations of mechanisms and control systems byschoolgirls on a Wisemobile in 1995. During SET-95 week, already referred to above, avideo for WISE in Wales was launched, as were two posters on WISE for secondary schoolsin Northern Ireland.Neighbourhood EngineersBetween 1991 and 1995 the Neighbourhood Engineers’ scheme enjoyed a dramaticexpansion, quadrupling in resource and scope with support from the DTI. Compared with the3,400 engineers in 800 schools in 1990, the figures rose to 6,000 in 1,600 secondary schoolsin 1991, and to 9,000 engineers in 2,100 schools in 1992 when Tim Maskell IEng wasappointed as the EngC staff member to manage the scheme. Two significant publicationsappeared during 1992: ‘Neighbourhood Engineers – Practical support for schools’ in January,and a ‘Neighbourhood Engineers’ Source Book’ in October. The EngC had commissioned anevaluation of the scheme by Professor David Bridges of the University of East Anglia in theprevious year; this showed that attitudes of both teachers and pupils had been influenced.Several of the report’s recommendations were implemented such that by 1993 some 11,000engineers and technicians were involved in 2,500 schools. Industry Affiliates suppliedsecondees to manage the scheme under signed agreements with the Engineering TrainingAuthority and the Civil Engineering Careers Service. The scheme was further strengthenedfrom this year by incorporating the similar IEE UNCLE project, possibly - and commendably- the only occasion when an engineering Institution had voluntarily merged an effort of itsown with one of the EngC. By the end of 1994 the scheme included more than 13,000 activeNeighbourhood Engineers in all nineteen of the EngC’s regions, the national managercoordinating the work of the seconded local regional managers. During 1995 nearly 1,000new Neighbourhood Engineers were recruited through a mail-shot to young members ofIMechE and IStructE and a similar appeal was planned through the IEE.The Times Education Supplement, in association with the EngC, launched ‘The TES Schoolof the Year Award’ to recognise teaching excellence through the involvement ofNeighbourhood Engineers. The intention was to give cash prizes to schools that haddeveloped activities through Neighbourhood Engineers, contributing to the curriculum intopics such as technology, science, mathematics and English.During 1991 it was decided that the somewhat similar Opening Windows On Engineering(OWOE) scheme, which involved fully-trained young engineers informing school pupilsabout engineers in industry, should be administered by the EngC jointly with itsNeighbourhood Engineers’ scheme. Accordingly, many Neighbourhood Engineers began todeliver careers information directly into schools in 1993. The OWOE scheme was fullyintegrated into the Neighbourhood Engineers’ programme during 1995.The Neighbourhood Engineers’ programme was consolidated in 1995 and its proceduresreviewed by a quality and audit group; its management and activities were improved and allnew Neighbourhood Engineers were to receive induction training and be offered anopportunity to take the City & Guilds 7323 Foundation Certificate in Teaching, Training and© Engineering Council UK 2004