As the UK emerges from the lockdown, the UK engineering community has a knowledgeable and expert voice to contribute in ensuring future national resilience, emergency preparedness, response and planning conversations, according to a paper published today by the National Engineering Policy Centre (NEPC).

Over the coming months there will be many opportunities for engineers to help tackle this pervasive inter-generational challenge, influencing and shaping longer-term decisions that are critical to guarantee a more resilient future.

The NEPC is a unified voice for over 40 professional engineering organisations, including the Engineering Council, who collectively represent 450,000 engineers. This partnership is led by the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAEng).

'Engineering a resilient future' champions the important role that the engineering community has already played in advising the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on evidence, insights and case studies from across the NEPC partnership, it explains how engineers can transform their ideas into collective advice, minimising the risks and impact of COVID-19 for the UK, to secure a more resilient future.

The paper presents the engineering response in three stages:

1. Lessening the impact
2. Easing the lockdown
3. Building a resilient future

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering, says: “Engineers play a major role in creating and maintaining the digital and physical infrastructure and systems which we all depend on, and they have been working throughout the COVID-19 crisis to ensure that these continue to function effectively and safely.

'Engineering a resilient future' shines a light on the many ways engineers can support the COVID-19 response and contribute towards UK capability to build back better from this crisis and withstand future shocks. It has been produced by the National Engineering Policy Centre, which brings together over 40 organisations representing professional engineers in the UK and which continues to provide independent, expert advice to government and policymakers to support the national response to COVID-19.”

The full 'Engineering a resilient future' paper is available on the RAEng website.

For press enquiries:    

Kate Webster, Engineering Council – kwebster@eng.org.uk, 020 3206 0567

The Engineering Council holds the national Register of Engineering Technicians (EngTech), Incorporated Engineers (IEng), Chartered Engineers (CEng) and Information and Communication Technology Technicians (ICTTech). It also sets and maintains the internationally recognised standards of competence and ethics that govern the award and retention of these titles. By this means it is able to ensure that employers, government and wider society, both at home and overseas, can have confidence in the skills and commitment of registrants. For more information visit: www.engc.org.uk