IMechE Director of Engineering responds to the 2016 Budget

Education

“Given plans to make all primary and secondary schools academies by 2020, Government needs to urgently clarify the structure and legislation it plans to oversee the national teaching workforce’s professional learning as a whole, and not simply rely on the goodwill of individual head teachers. The speed of change in science technology engineering and mathematics mean that teacher professional development in these areas are essential if young people are to find out about the modern world of employment. In Scotland where schools are largely under a local authority umbrella, lifelong subject training is both valued and mandatory. We call on the Government in England to ensure that not only is professional training maintained, but extended to meet this vital need for high tech savvy teachers.

“Government plans to teach mathematics until the age of 18 for all pupils is very positive news. This will pose a challenge for establishing more imaginative ways of engaging the interest and ability ranges of all young people. Engineers use maths as a tool for solving real-world problems and this should be better reflected in school education. Many more school pupils will develop greater numeracy if they have an opportunity to experience problem-based learning.”

Transport

“The green light given today for Crossrail 2 and High Speed Rail 3 are very welcome news. However it is vital that these investments fit within a wider integrated transport strategy. At the moment major infrastructure projects are being developed in isolation and a holistic approach would better serve passengers, tax payers and businesses.

“We suggest that government departments work together to develop a strategy to incentivise and support the private sector, eliminating practices that create congestion on the public transport network, while it remains quiet at other times. Government would do well to learn and build on the experience of Crossrail - a project that is being delivered on-time and on-budget. We need to be able to use the knowledge and people skills developed from Crossrail to ensure other rail projects in the UK can be delivered more effectively and efficiently.

“The announcement of plans for trials of driverless cars on the strategic road network by 2017 are positive but do not go far enough. Making all vehicles autonomous could prevent up to 95% of all traffic accidents and the widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles could bring billions of pounds to the UK economy. Government needs to take urgent action to resolve legislative, technological and insurance issues to help encourage the rollout of autonomous or driverless vehicles.”

Energy

“Plans to increase our dependence on electricity interconnectors to nine gigawatts is no silver-bullet to meeting the UK’s electricity demand. A greater reliance on interconnectors to import electricity from Europe and Scandinavia is likely to lead to higher electricity costs and less energy security. Currently there are insufficient incentives for companies to invest in any sort of electricity infrastructure or innovation. Government needs to introduce measures to encourage reducing electricity demand. We need to take urgent action to work with industry to create a clear pathway with timeframes and milestones for new electricity infrastructure to be built including fossil fuel plants, nuclear power, energy storage and combined heat and power.”