Britain's education system must encourage interest in engineering and manufacturing for a stronger future economy, argues Sara Williams, founder of Vitesse Media plc.

Britain's education system must encourage interest in engineering and manufacturing for a stronger future economy, argues Sara Williams, founder of Vitesse Media plc.

Engineering milestones have been reached. The business founded by James Dyson is about to reach £1 billion sales for the first time. And last week Rolls Royce burst through the £1 billion profit barrier, also a first. The UK needs more celebratory moments to encourage engineering and manufacturing, which is urgently needed to ‘rebalance the economy’ in the government’s and Bank of England’s parlance.

It’s utterly crucial that there is a complete change of culture, starting with the young and persuading the best brains in the country to consider careers outside the City. My younger son graduated from Oxford 18 months ago. Among his peers, as far as I could see, the only careers being considered were investment banking, the law, accountancy or management consultancy, with a goodly selection opting for the Teach First programme. Among mathematicians, hedge funds and spreadbetting firms were considered. But industry and engineering weren’t attractive as career options to any of them.

This attitude has to be reversed and that’s why I support attempts to curb remuneration amongst the City high-fliers, not as an act of revenge for the havoc caused over the last few years by their financial failings, but because the best young brains in the country need to be persuaded to go into careers to make ‘things’. Of course, this could cover technology, too.

I’m old enough to remember the days of lots of small manufacturing and engineering businesses (as well as major industrial concerns) in the UK – how fantastic it would be if we could see a new wave of innovative entrepreneurs, creating high-spec industrial and engineering businesses over the next few years. The UK could look forward to a stronger and more rewarding economy – and that would help all our businesses, including the myriad of traditional service businesses, which are such a feature of our current entrepreneurial sector.

See also: Broadband tax break for small firms