An Engine for Change - A Chronicle of the Engineering Council

1996-1998: THE RUDGE YEARS 121industry projects with support from Neighbourhood Engineers. Over 1,000 young engineersfrom several Institutions were targeted during the year, 300 of them female, as potential newvolunteer Neighbourhood Engineers. By the end of 1996, with a budget of £500,000, 2,069secondary and 230 primary schools were in the scheme supported by an impressive 13,000engineers and technicians. In 1996 the newly formed Young Engineers’ IWG sought todetermine how young engineers’ views were best identified, reporting its findings to the BEP.In 1997, with 2,000 schools supported by 8,500 engineers and technicians, the programmewas managed by industry schemes such as Industry Projects – Understanding Technology(INPUT), Creativity in Science and Technology (CREST), and Young Engineer Clubs. Toadvertise and explain the programme to potential participants, the booklet “NeighbourhoodEngineers – Practical Support for Schools” was published in January 1997 and a conferencefor Neighbourhood Engineers’ managers was held in Scarborough on 22/23 October 1997.During that year a Schools Institution Working Group was created by the BEP to examine theNeighbourhood Engineers scheme. It was hoped to recruit many Young Engineers throughPEIs and Institutions, because by the end of 1998 although there were still some 2,000schools, they were supported now by only 8,000 engineers and technicians partly, as pointedout above, resulting from the collapse of the PEI plans.Young Engineers for BritainA record number of 1,250 young people (11-19 year-olds) entered projects and inventions forthe Young Engineers for Britain competition in 1996. The national finals were held atHeathrow Airport. The competition was won by Adam James (18) from Y PontComprehensive School, Mid-Glamorgan for his invention of a plastic wrist brace. The awardwas presented by the Duke of Kent. The competition was organised jointly by the EngC andSCSST and widely reported in the media. Many companies contributed financial and othersupport.In 1997 the YEB competition was extended to include young people up to the age of 25 andagain there were a record 1,350 contestants. The national finals [the biggest and best ever, thereports said] were held at the Commonwealth Institute Conference in London. The winnerwas Robert Thorpe (18) from Eckington School, North Derbyshire who invented a pair ofhandshears that could be used by disabled people. The award was presented by James Dyson,the internationally-renowned inventor and design engineer. On this occasion YEB wasorganised by the EngC in association with the YE movement of SCSST.In 1998 over 1,000 competitors (aged 11-25) entered projects and inventions. Thecompetition was won by a four-boy team from Merchiston Castle School, Edinburgh forinventing a computerised lighting-control system for small theatres. The National Finals wereheld at the Commonwealth Institute Conference Centre in London. The award was presentedby Lord Putnam, film producer and Chairman of the National Endowment for Science,Technology and the Arts. For this year YEB was organised in association with ASSET’sYoung Engineers’ Clubs which had many supporters.Other Schools’ DevelopmentsThe advisory General Education Committee (GEC) provided the BER with expertise in theschool sector during this period, primarily concerning itself with the national curriculum. Forexample, a report ‘A Mathematical Foundation’ was published jointly by the EngC with the© Engineering Council UK 2004