I recently spoke at Engineering UK’s Bing Bang event in Parliament.

You can watch my speech below

Trancript

Get these microphones to an appropriate height.

Ok. Thank you so much Hilary and I really applaud Engineering UK for putting on this great event which centres on outstanding young people and highlights excellence in engineering and technical disciplines. I think there is no greater way of advocating for the value of the Big Bang programme than actually meeting some of the young people who have been involved and seeing the inspirational projects that they’ve been involved in. I want to say a particular welcome to them, to the terrifyingly talented competition entrants that we have got here today because your passion and enthusiasm for STEM is inspirational, and I think gives us all real hope about the future of our country in general and engineering and the sciences in particular.

These skills and disciplines are the building blocks of curiosity and discovery but they’re also the foundations of a great career and will be absolutely crucial if our nation is to rise to the challenges of meeting net zero and preserving our environment and as co-chair of the Apprenticeships APPG and having shadowed the Skills brief in Opposition, I am passionate about young people developing the skills they need and enjoy their studies to thrive in the world of work. I was one of the relatively few number of MPs who didn’t attend university and so, I am a passionate advocate for the value of learning, no matter what form that takes. Traditional university courses have a huge role to play in developing STEM skills and producing cutting edge new knowledge in the sector. University is not the only path to a career in an engineering environment and I am very pleased that the new government has also seen the value of a rage of different routes into engineering careers.

A recent Institute of Engineering and Technology study found that the UK had a shortfall of 173,000 engineers. The growth ambitions of the Government and the country will remain elusive unless we can persuade more bright young school leavers to follow your example and pursue engineering excellence. Of course, as many in this room will know all too well, the engineering sector has a huge role to play and so it’s great to see so many employers involved with this programme and hearing from them in discussions we have just had about the value that they place on the Big Bang programme. But it’s a sector that can provide young people with practical early career opportunities to learn on the job and it’s vital that we continue to break down barriers to STEM skills and jobs, whether that be through apprenticeships or T-Level work placements.

I don’t think we can overstate this point. An investment in skills, like those developed through STEM is an investment in people and their opportunities. But it’s also an investment in all our wealth and that of the economy raising vital funds for public services through that investment. The Prime Minister has been clear that the work of this Parliament will be guided by the Government’s missions, and I have no doubt that the Government will see the importance of access to STEM skills as crucial to achieving these missions.

Better access can break down the barriers to opportunity at every level and boost productivity helping to kick start economic growth. In my new role as Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee I am all too aware of the desperate need for more people with green skills. If we are going to turn the UK into a clean energy superpower and meet the ambitious 2030 target, then it has to be all hands to the pump.

The truth is, on this nation’s current path we are facing a green skills gap of almost 200,000 workers so I’d say to our young people here today, we are in desperate need of STEM skills, and this is going to be an area of real opportunity. By following your passion, you can play a big role in the most important task of our times. Slowing and halting global warming and re-directing our planet on a pathway back to sustainability.

So, to conclude, I want to give a call to action to all those in the sector. Keep giving these brilliant young people these opportunities. I will do my bit, hold the Government to account on its ambition for skills and another massive well done to the talented young scientists and engineers with us. From the project we have seen today I know that our future is in very safe hands. Thank you very much.