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Mauryn Chika Nweke, University College London, United KingdomAbstract
Many reports, including an article released by The Royal Academy of Engineering 2016, highlight that the past decade has seen a gradual global skills shortage in the field of engineering, with particular emphasis on the UK not producing enough engineers in specific and highly-sought-after engineering disciplines, as well as a decline in the percentage of the population taking up engineering degrees compared to the increasing need for workers in the sector (Perkins, 2019). There are many contributing factors to the engineering skills shortage reported in literature including but not limited to – misconceptions about the engineering profession (Marshall, Mcclymont and Joyce, 2007), a general lack of awareness of what engineers do (Marshall, 2019), the perception that engineering is only for men (Neave et al., 2018), among others. Science communication is seen to be having a transformative impact on the public communication and engagement with science beyond scholarly communities and is considered to be an important tool in the engagement of future engineers (Rimer and Kreuter, 2006) as a means of both educating and persuading GCSE/A-Level students (aged 16-18) on what the Engineering profession entails and to consider choosing Engineering as a degree. However, there were a number of challenges faced concerning the effective transmission of scientific knowledge to specific audiences. This literature appraisal will critically evaluate the efficacy of the use of science communication as a means of informing the praxis of recruitment strategies used in higher education for engineering students at University College London.
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