This is Engineering Day: Are engineers really who you think they are?
This is Engineering is a multi-year campaign led by the Royal Academy of Engineering to bring engineering to life for young people as well as give more people the opportunity to pursue a career that is future-shaping, well-paid and in-demand.
Many of us will know first-hand that engineering is an exciting, varied and rewarding career. And yet the UK has a shortage of young people applying for engineering courses and engineering jobs. One of the prime reasons for this is that many people hold outdated views of what engineering is and what engineers do. Think back to when you decided to become an engineer or joined our company – did your perceptions match up with the reality of what engineering is all about?
This is Engineering seeks to present a positive image of engineering by challenging misconceptions about what being an engineer is all about. As part of the campaign, 6 November has been declared ‘This is Engineering Day’ as a way of publicly celebrate more diverse and representative images of engineers online and offline.
To support the campaign, we’ve identified, with the help of our Atkineers some common myths about engineering and asked some of our engineers to dispel them by sharing their experiences:
'All engineers are the same and they can fix everything from TV sets to fighting jets' dispelled by Digital Lead (Cities & Development) Will Squires:
'Engineers are not able of creative thinking' dispelled by Graduate Structural Engineer Daniel Ingman:
'Engineering is all about hard hats and dirt and is not for women' dispelled by Structural Engineer Preeti Mistry:
'You have to be a maths genius to be an engineer' dispelled by Engineering Geologist Holly Fisher.
'Engineering Geologists study the ground for construction projects. We determine the strength of the ground for foundation or earthwork design, and identify and mitigate any possible hazards associated with the ground; soft soil, faulting, groundwater, sinkholes, landslides, mining, weak rock etc. all have the potential to cause problems for construction.
I hated maths. I loved geography and geology, so I studied it at university. There, I discovered that engineering also involves understanding the intricacies of the ground, the shape of the land and how it got that way, groundwater, history and human interactions with our environment.'
What do YOU think are the most common misconceptions about engineering? Is there anything you would add to our list? You can support the This is Engineering campaign and ‘This is Engineering Day’ by sharing your own inspiring comments or images of engineers and engineering with the public via your personal social media channels, or by re-posting messages from the Atkins Instagram accounts or the official campaign accounts on Twitter (@ThisIsEng) and Instagram (@ThisIsEngineering). Don’t forget to use the #ThisIsEngineering and #InsideAtkins hashtag to help increase your reach!
Related article
#insideAtkins
Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
Veterans & reservists

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
Related Jobs
Salary
Location
Epsom
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Cities & development
Location
Birmingham
Warrington
Epsom
Belfast
Glasgow
Cardiff
Career Area
Engineering (Other)
Description
Assistant Drainage EngineerLocations: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Epsom, Glasgow, Leeds, Peterborough and Warrington.Atkins provides drainage design services to Highway, Rail, Private Devel
Reference
R-048529
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Akshit PooniaAuthor
Akshit PooniaSalary
Location
Epsom
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Location
Epsom
Career Area
Engineering (Other)
Description
Atkins, a member of SNC-Lavalin is one of the world’s most respected design, engineering and project management consultancies, with over 50,000 employees worldwide. At Atkins, we offer more than jus
Reference
R-049696
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Abhishek ManmadhanAuthor
Abhishek ManmadhanSalary
Location
Birmingham
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Transportation
Career Area
Civil engineering
Location
Birmingham
Description
Senior EngineerAre you ready to take up a vital role in shaping some of our exciting projects? How about joining our talented team, where everyone has a voice, and together we face our clients' proble
Reference
R-046329
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Abhishek SahaAuthor
Abhishek SahaSalary
Location
Bristol
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Nuclear
Career Area
Mechanical engineering
Location
Bristol
Description
Our growing team is looking for a talented Senior Mechanical Design Engineer with nuclear decommissioning experience, or experience in a safety critical industry. You’ll enjoy working on technically c
Reference
R-047589
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Mahira Fatima ShariffAuthor
Mahira Fatima ShariffSalary
Location
Whitehaven
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Nuclear
Career Area
Electrical engineering
Location
Warrington
Whitehaven
Description
Working within our Energy business for our Nuclear Fuel Cycle Business Unit based in Whitehaven and Warrington, you will be in a unique position of being able to offer full concept through to detail d
Reference
R-049922
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Parag KubalAuthor
Parag KubalSalary
Location
Birmingham
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Environment & geoscience
Location
Birmingham
Career Area
Natural sciences
Description
At Atkins, our team of ecologists work throughout the UK to deliver a diverse range of challenging and exciting projects that benefit our clients, biodiversity and society.To meet our growing project
Reference
R-042312
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Abhishek ManmadhanAuthor
Abhishek ManmadhanSalary
Location
Bristol
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Career Area
Process engineering
Location
Bristol
Description
If you are conscientious Senior Process Engineer with exceptional interpersonal skills, thrive on leading work on exciting projects, and have interest in the Nuclear sector, then this could be the rol
Reference
R-048443
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Parag KubalAuthor
Parag KubalSalary
Location
Stockton-on-Tees
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Transportation
Career Area
Civil engineering
Location
Stockton-on-Tees
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Description
Principal EngineerAre you ready to take up a vital role in shaping some of our exciting projects? How about joining our talented team, where everyone has a voice, and together we face our clients' pro
Reference
R-046325
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Abhishek SahaAuthor
Abhishek SahaSalary
Location
Manchester
Job Type
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Faithful+Gould
Market
Project, programme & cost management
Career Area
Project management
Location
Manchester
Description
Faithful+Gould is looking to recruit a high calibre Project Manager for its Project & Programme Management Team in the North West UK. The successful candidate will join an established team of projec
Reference
R-047597
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Ravi MuppalaAuthor
Ravi MuppalaSalary
Location
Leeds
Job Type
Flexible Working
Full Time
Category
Permanent
Brand
Atkins
Market
Project, programme & cost management
Career Area
Procurement
Location
Leeds
Description
Atkins are currently recruiting for an Assistant Category Manager to support the Category Management function within their central finance function. You will be joining a high performing team within
Reference
R-050158
Expiry Date
5/19/2021
Author
Ponnamma BelliappaAuthor
Ponnamma BelliappaRelated Articles
Recently viewed jobs