Tomorrow’s Engineers Week took place from 3-7 November 2014 and aimed to change perceptions of engineering among young people (focusing on 11-14s), their parents and teachers.

The week celebrated the everyday engineering heroes that design, create and innovate to improve lives.

Launched by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (DBIS) in 2013 in partnership with the engineering community, the first Tomorrow’s Engineers Week involved over 70 engineering organisations, 65 events or local activities and over 200 schools.

The national Tomorrow's Engineers Week campaign used social media as well as traditional PR to shine the spotlight on engineering and gave young people the chance to talk directly to engineers and win great prizes, as well as reaching the people who influence them.

The following were highlighted :

• The benefits of engineering careers to young people;

• The opportunities for young people to experience these careers and to become the everyday engineering heroes of the future;

• The many engineering jobs available to young people, especially girls.

Verity O’Keefe, employment and skills policy adviser at EEF, said: “Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is a golden opportunity to rekindle realistic and achievable career aspiration in the young. By making it clear that our sector has plenty of interesting jobs available, pays well and offers good long-term career prospects, we will be ticking many of the boxes for young people and their parents.

“The fact is that our sector has struggled with an image problem and this has left it lagging behind in the race to attract talent. It’s vital that young people are now given an accurate and up-to-date picture of the wealth of opportunities on offer.

“The ongoing skills shortage, higher than average pay and the fact that manufacturing is leaping up the Government and public agenda, makes this a key time to reach out to young people and ensure they understand how and why they should get involved.”