This article is available in several languages:

Shortfall of engineers? Commission a TV series

There is a major shortage of engineers in the UK, in 2021 the Institute of Engineering and Technology estimated a shortfall of over 173,000 workers in the STEM sector. The UK cannot solve this shortage of engineers by growing talent from the same demographics, there simply aren’t enough of them, we must diversify the workforce.
This is not a new concept, when I first started volunteering in Diversity & Inclusion two decades ago the Chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Diversity Steering Board had already been talking about this for two decades. The reports all say the same thing and give the same recommendations and yet change is frustratingly slow.
What can we learn from other professions?
To see if we can speed up the process, we can look at other career paths that have increased their diversity, I’m going to use medicine and law as my examples.
Both traditionally white, male dominated, historically open only to those from wealthy families, these industries now have a much more diverse workforce. These careers have similar qualification requirements, as well as salary and social mobility prospects as engineering, so why hasn’t engineering gone the same way?
Medicine and Law have something that Engineering lacks, societal awareness and interaction. Through the course of your life you are likely to encounter a doctor, and possibly also a solicitor (buying a home, getting a divorce etc), whereas you will encounter engineered products daily, you may rarely interact with an engineer at work.
Ally McBeal or Grey’s Anatomy?

But there’s something else as well… TV sitcoms and dramas. Whether you are the Ally McBeal and ER generation or Suits and Grey’s Anatomy, seeing into the lives of professional doctors and lawyers has been made commonplace through these incredibly popular TV shows.
Don’t believe the link? After The Big Bang Theory first aired in 2010 there was a 28% increase in the number of students selecting Physics at AS- and A-level and a 17% increase in applications to read Physics at University, with students positively citing The Big Bang Theory as a motivator (Guardian article, 2011). Sadly, the engineer in this show is usually the butt of the joke.
The effect of these TV shows is a population of people who understand Medicine and Law (and Physics in Academia) as careers.
Lack of awareness about engineering
Engineering UK reported in 2020 that “A young person’s perception and knowledge of engineering is also likely to be a factor in their decision to pursue a career in the profession. Unfortunately, there is a widespread lack of awareness about engineering. Almost half (47%) of 11 to 19 year olds said they knew little or almost nothing about what engineers do. Worse, this limited knowledge is often distorted; not only is engineering seen as difficult, complicated and dirty, it is often also considered a man’s profession”.
Also, let’s not underestimate how important it is for parents to promote and facilitate this choice of career path. A 2021 report from Engineering UK found that “young people whose parents said they know what engineers do were more than twice as likely to express an interest in an engineering career than those whose parents said they did not”.
An extra spanner in the toolbox
I am not advocating that we stop any of the initiatives that aim to increase the diversity and volume of engineering apprentices and students, these have their place and have made progress. You can find out more about the government’s careers (including STEM) strategy here. I simply offer another perspective (or an extra spanner) on educating people about the fantastic career opportunities that engineering has to offer.
So, what would this show look like? Nothing like current engineering shows like Extreme Engineering or Impossible Engineering. The appeal needs to be to those who wouldn’t watch an engineering docu-drama. I can think of many scenarios that could play out as drama or sitcom episodes, and thankfully the BBC have a useful resource on scriptwriting essentials, but engineering clearly hasn’t gained the interest of major producers… yet!
So, what do you think? Would a new TV show based around the lives of engineers help increase it’s popularity?
Join the conversation!