Engineering and the Politics of the UK

Even though the general election in the UK is still many months away, it has already become quite an exciting event. With so much political turbulence in the UK in recent years, voters seem incredibly keen to have their say this time round. When it comes to policy, there are always so many dividing factors that it can be hard to keep track. But how will the general election impact upon the lives and careers of those in the field of engineering?

When considering politicians policy in regards to engineering, it seems we are practically in the dark. Not much has been said on the topic it regards to what actually might or might not happen – and that has left many in the UK asking questions amongst themselves. 

 

In the last five years there has been much talk about the importance of re-balancing the economy in relation to increased manufacturing. 

However, at the same time not much has been said about the best ways to achieve this. There has also been not very much discussion about how to improve business access to finance or even how to manage energy costs.

The difficulty experienced by the engineering industry when it comes to filling vacancies isn’t helping the situation. However, on the plus side there has been much interest from the industry and from potential employees about the prospect of increased vocational training. That having been said, not enough is being done to actually put this training into place and therefore it’s not so simple for the jobs to be filled.

As there is so much information missing when it comes to deciding on future policy, it is all the more important that discussion take place. This is the very essence of the political system – to explore and expand current policies in order to create a better system for all.

Although it is obvious to say that engineering issues aren’t at the height of the political agenda, they do contribute greatly to the economy and that is an issue of society at large.

Although the UK is not my country, I do understand it is an important hub of engineering activity. It is for that reason that I for one am keen to see if the political agenda sways in favour of promoting these issues!