Survey shows increasing interest in engineering

An Institution of Engineering and Technology product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jun 15, 2007

An international study has found that teenagers today believe that engineering is a challenging, innovative and lucrative career.

According to a new international study from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), teenagers today believe that engineering is a challenging, innovative and lucrative career.

Two fifths of them are considering it as a future career, particularly in India where two thirds of teenagers aspire to become engineers.

Commissioned by the IET, the 2020 Vision programme polled 1750 14 to 18 year-olds in Australia, China, Germany, Hong Kong, India, the US and the UK, and the findings reveal their hopes and fears for the future.

Although today's teenagers see climate change and depleting energy resources as the greatest global threats they don't believe it will impact on their personal lifestyle.

Overall, teenagers expect to earn more, have more and work less than their parents.

73% of teenagers expect to earn more than their parents, with the same number expecting a better quality of life.

A quarter of all those surveyed expect to reap these rewards while working fewer hours.

Other findings include: Chinese youth lead on environmental awareness; one in three expect to work abroad; and the appeal of 'media studies' is a global phenomenon.

Chinese and Indian teens are the most confident their future quality of life will be better than their parents (90% and 92% respectively), whilst 65% of UK teens expect 'no difference' when comparing their lifestyle with their parents and 20% of German teens expect it will be worse.

Australian teens (75%) and USA teens (72%) see changes in the cost of living as a high priority in comparison to the other countries.

Issues of security at home and travelling were also most important to the Americans (61%) and the Australians (58%) than any other country.

Indian teenagers are the least worried of all those surveyed about green challenges (48%) and are more concerned about population changes (61%), which ranked fifth overall in the league table of threats.

Whilst teenagers overall think teachers make the world a better place, and that medicine and engineering are the most aspirational careers - they don't want to work in these fields.

The most popular career choice (47%) was computing followed by media (TV/film/music and journalism).

Chinese teenagers more than any other country valued the role of marketers, perhaps indicating that the workshop of the world is looking to the next generation to create and manage home grown brands.

And they won't be restricted to working in their country of birth.

Nearly 30% of young people expect to work abroad during their lifetimes.

59% of respondents expect national boundaries to make little or no difference to where they work.

Robin McGill, Chief Executive of the IET said: "The survey findings show that, on the whole, young people value the role engineering and technology plays in creating the sort of world they want to live in, the challenge of encouraging them to pursue careers in these fields is one which we all face".

"The IET is committed to promoting science, engineering and technology to young people by engaging them and demonstrating how exciting and rewarding these careers are".

The IET is an international organisation whose remit is to inspire people about science and engineering.

It has an educational role, with a duty to engage students to move into this sector.