Training to be the best

According to research published by the Advanced Institute of Management Research, British manufacturing is closing the production gap on its American competitors, but is it closing the skills gap? A key difference between the British and American economies has always been the US commitment to lifelong learning. Currently, of 120,000 IEE members, less than a third with a professional development programme available to them are involved in it; across the board, members aiming for chartered status are a very small proportion. The article explores why training is a must. Professional development has to deliver tangible benefits to a business, both in the short term to enhance profits and in the long term to create the leaders for another generation. First, however, more engineers must be persuaded of its benefits. CEng is a top-class, fully rounded qualification, but the world outside engineering is broadly unaware of this. The profession must sell the value and importance of CEng to everyone and give it its justified, universal high status. Then watch participating graduates jump.