Teaching problem solving skills in our schools could inspire a passion for engineering that would help overcome the current lack of engineers in the UK.
This is according to a report by the Royal Academy of Engineering, which also urges professional engineers to set aside time to work with pupils and teachers.
The findings come after the report’s authors studied the effects of three pilot schemes to unite the worlds of education and engineering.
One scheme was Primary Engineer. Supported by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and Strathclyde University, its aim was to help teachers in Glasgow and East Ayrshire bring engineering into lessons.
The school pupils were encouraged to adapt existing materials and visualise the end products and how they would work.
Encouragingly, the children’s ability to tackle open-ended questions and generate creative solutions was found to improve, while the teachers quickly became more open to the ideas.
The report highlighted improvements in science, maths, artistic abilities, communication skills and overall confidence.
While the engineers of tomorrow are being nurtured this way, there are many job opportunities in engineering available right now with s1jobs – and demonstrating your own problem solving skills at your interview could help land the job.
So here are three top ways to do just that.
1. Focus on your unique selling point
If you’re intent on a particular engineering role, it pays to focus first on the unique skill that will best serve you here.
Tell your interviewer why this particular skill is so important and how you would use it to solve problems and advance the company.
2. Don’t be a one hit wonder
Now you can mention all those others skills that compliment your number one problem-solving talent.
Don’t simply offer the list already on your CV, as this may come across as repetitive and a bit boring. Try instead to explain how each of these skills would be used in practice.
This shows your capabilities in action and suggests you can handle any task.
3. Underline that you’re evolving
Explain how you are constantly developing your problem solving skills – perhaps by taking new courses to upskill or embracing new technologies that can help your engineering work, such as enhanced computing skills.
From apprentice engineer all the way up to project manager, there is always room for learning and being a fan of self-improvement will make you indispensible.
For the best opportunities in Engineering visit s1jobs.com