Carl Patrick (31), a project engineer at Leamington Spa-based Mills CNC (
www.millscnc.co.uk) — the exclusive distributor of Doosan machine tools in the UK and Ireland — has been awarded a Fellowship Grant by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust (WCMT) to research German, Japanese and American young peoples’ knowledge and perceptions of engineering and engineering careers in their respective countries.
The project will involve Mr Patrick travelling to the three countries to talk to young people in schools and colleges, apprentices, employers, education and training providers and organisations involved in promoting engineering and manufacturing. He will then report his findings to the Trust and produce a report that highlights ‘best practice’ and provides evidence of how German, Japanese and American initiatives have helped raise awareness of engineering and improved its profile as a positive career path for young people to follow.
Mr Patrick said: “UK engineering and manufacturing companies have concerns about attracting top talent into the sector and retaining it. They are — and have been for some time — experiencing issues related to skills shortages and are naturally worried about the numbers of qualified and committed young people entering into engineering careers.
"From the outside, there doesn’t appear to be the same level of concern or problems being experienced in Germany, Japan or the USA; the research project I am undertaking will help to identify why this is the case. I am going into this project with an open mind. Even though I may have some ideas already, I am on a fact-finding
mission. The end game isn’t about proving whether my thinking is right or wrong but about helping to address negative perceptions regarding engineering. If other countries do things better, why not learn from them?”