Global report highlights increasing influence of engineering

The London-based Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering (QEPrize) has released “Create the Future 2017,” an international survey of attitudes toward engineering across 10 markets, including the U.K., U.S., Germany, Japan, India, and Brazil.

The report finds:

• Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are seen as the most modern innovations, while tech-based innovations, like the internet and computers, are thought to have the greatest impact on daily life.
• The skills gap is widening. Half of markets surveyed—China, Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and the U.S.—saw a significant rise in the perceived demand for skilled engineers.
• Diversity is the driver of modern engineering. Three-quarters of people feel there should be more visible female role models among industry leaders. Three in five said they would be inspired to pursue engineering if there were more people like them to look up to.
• Eighty percent believe governments, businesses, and schools should offer more support to those interested in engineering professions.