National Grid Education
The future of National Grid, and perhaps the whole UK economy, depends on young people becoming interested in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths) and staying interested in them.
In 2009, we published the National Grid 'Engineering Our Future' report. This is based on wide-ranging research into attitudes towards engineering and how we can encourage young people to consider a career in this field.
The research told us:
- young people cannot visualise what an engineer does;
- teachers too often do not know enough to recommend engineering as a career; and
- work experience is the action most likely to change views and choices – as long as it's high-quality work experience.
We have many challenges ahead. We need to tackle these issues, with the main emphasis being on raising the profile of engineering. We also need to create opportunities for young people, their parents and teachers, so they can contact real engineers and engineering organisations.
Although the Engineering Our Future report focuses on engineering and our main priority is STEM subjects, we are passionate about education generally. So, even if you are not an engineer or a scientist, there are plenty of opportunities for you to get involved.