
Changing the image of engineering
The campaign was created in response to significant demand for engineering talent in the UK. The nation faces a major skills challenge: EngineeringUK estimates the UK is short of 59,000 engineers per annum. Plus, only 12% of professional engineers are women and only 9 % from black, Asian or minority backgrounds. To date, the Academy’s online campaign and films have reached millions of young people and are starting to significantly change preconceptions of the profession – view a film about the ambitions of one of our engineers, Sophie Harker, and find out what inspired her career choice.
The latest activity run by This is Engineering is an assault on outdated imagery that reinforces stereotypes about engineering with the aim of seeing a more diverse range of images ranking higher in search engine image results for ‘engineer’. To help with this, a new collection of engineering images has been created. The images will depict engineers, particularly from unrepresented groups, at work – whether this is in a lab, a music studio, a velodrome or testing robotics.
In support of the campaign we have created a photo album of engineering imagery that represents BAE Systems today and tomorrow. Take a look through our album here and join the conversation on @ThisisEngineering or #ThisisEngineering.

Jane, a manufacturing engineer at Warton, Samlesbury represents the thousands of BAE Systems’ engineers involved in the enhancement, upgrade and maintenance of Typhoon aircraft

Unmanned boat technologies have been tested in the Solent by BAE Systems’ engineers
Engineers refine enhancements to BMX bikes as part of a 12-year technology partnership with UK Sport

Apprentices are trained to use the latest military aircraft technologies at the £15M Academy for Skills and Knowledge in Samlesbury, Lancashire

Additive layer manufacturing technologies have resulted in innovative designs for military aircraft components

Our shipbuilding business in Scotland has a long and proud history of manufacturing state-of-the art warships for the world’s navies

Tempest - a next generation aircraft project - aims to be an inspirational as Spitfire to a new generation. The full size replica model is proving hugely popular.

The engineering expertise in intergenerational teams has been key to developing skills for submarine design and manufacture

Virtual reality techniques have been used extensively by engineers in the design of offshore patrol vessels

Billie, an engineer in our electronic systems business is one of the Women’s Engineering Society’s Top 50 Female Engineers and in the Financial Times’s 100 Most Influential Engineers in the UK

Sponsoring PhD students provides ‘real world’ applications for R&D

Resonant Acoustic Mixing techniques are used to test a more efficient method of producing energetic materials

Francesca, a female engineer in the submarine build hall at Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria. The site has built every submarine for the Royal Navy for over 100 years