James Dyson concerned about losing UK engineering talent
By Michael Northcott Tuesday, 08 January 2013
The inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner has piped up to voice his fears about engineering talent leaving the UK because of under investment.
James Dyson told the Radio times that too much emphasis was being placed on ‘the glamour of web fads and video gaming’, at the expense of ‘tangible technology that we can export’.
He added: ‘The government must do more to attract the brightest and best into engineering and science so that we can compete internationally.
‘26% of engineering graduates do not go into engineering or technical professions. More worrying is that 85% of all engineering and science postgraduates in our universities come from outside the UK.
‘Yet nine in 10 leave the UK after they finish their studies. British knowledge is simply taken abroad.’
He also described the £7,000 salary available to postgraduate engineer researchers as ‘insulting’. We’re not holding our breath for the government to revolutionise funding for engineers, however…
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