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1 May 2012

The Engineering Feat of the Crossrail: Part Two

As an engineering challenge, the Crossrail is one of the finest examples of the need for not only highly skilled and well trained engineers in Great Britain, but it also highlights the need to remain focused on the education and training of future engineers. Even though the Crossrail is perhaps the most challenging task of its kind to date, in the future there will be other challenge that will likely be greater.

Who will head that project and ensure that it works out without an issue within the confines of the existing systems and networks in place?

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23 Apr 2012

The Engineering Feat of the Crossrail: Part One

Underneath the ground in London is one of the most complex networks of utility lines as well as rail systems in the world. Merely navigating the treacherous web of lines and tunnels can be a weeks’ long process, but when you couple that with the idea of adding a new rail system, affectionately known as the Crossrail, then you come across a logistical challenge that can put nearly any engineer to an early retirement.

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11 Apr 2012

Cost Cuts to the Railway Industry Has Mixed Reactions

Keeping costs down is generally considered an important caveat of a healthy industry, but when it comes to industries such as the railroad system, there are more issues at stake than merely keeping the cost of tickets down. Safety in an age of threats, both foreign and domestic, as well as the high rate of copper theft that has been affecting the railway industry are just two examples of the issues that are affecting the commuter railway world.

The idea of cutting costs is certainly one that will be agreeable to a number of people, but the plan has to pass a number of criteria before it can be determined to be effective in the long run.

Anthony Smith, who is the Chief Executive of Passenger Focus, a watchdog group that has the interest of the riding public in mind, believes that there is certainly a need to have a more cost-effective railroad for the consumers, but he isn’t convinced yet that the simple act of cutting costs is going to have the right impact on the public at large.

He states, ‘How will it affect the way we travel? [The plan] need[s] to pass two tests: will passengers find the changes both affordable and acceptable?’ If consumers don’t find these cost cutting plans to be either, or preferably both, the long-term effects, such as reduced ridership, revenue, and more can have a greater bearing on those long-term costs that the government is aiming to save.

Regulations that will go into effect in the future under this cost cutting plan will also be a factor in impacting how the major companies deal with the shared costs of operating their rail lines. Some of the proposed regulations also indicate the potential for mismanagement and misuse, such as allowing individual operators to charge more for busier times. During the commuter rush hours, there are currently no provisions in place with this cost cutting plan to limit or cap the amount that can be charged for specific fare times.

However, it is important to note that while the government plan is to cut 3.5 billion pounds from the cost of operating the railway throughout the UK, as reported by The BBC, they are exploring all of the options available to them in order to ensure that they not only achieve the greatest cost savings, but that it also benefits the riding public as well. One final doomsday note comes from RMT general secretary Bob Crow who admonishes this proposed legislation, stating that it will return the industry to the days of disasters, such as Hatfield and Potters Bar.

The coming months of debate will highlight the full potential impact of this proposed cost cutting legislation.

4 Apr 2012

Manufacturing the Focus of Make It in Great Britain Campaign

Too often people tend to forget just how important manufacturing is to any given country’s prosperity. As the world has moved into the modern computer age, where technology is readily available as well as information, it can be simple to assume that Great Britain doesn’t actually make anything anymore. Society, as a whole, has become complacent with regard to this topic and issue and, while it may seem harmless on the surface, education and enlightenment are always cures for what ails one.

Make it in Great Britain is a campaign that is set on enlightening the general public about what this great nation actually produces. It is believed that the more that the general public knows and understands about these manufacturing innovations and contributions to the overall economy, the more they will grasp the full impact of those engineers and other workers who are behind this vast productivity.

Coinciding with the Olympics and Paralympic Games

The Make it in Great Britain campaign will be produced and displayed to coincide with the Olympic Games, to take place in the summer of 2012 in London. If one thinks or ponders about what Great Britain produces as far as manufacturing is concerned, at the moment, they may not come up with too many ideas off the top of their head. This will all change when the Make it in Great Britain campaign kicks off this summer.

Unfortunately, most of the views that citizens have of manufacturing are outdated, and government agencies as well as some of the top Great Britain manufacturers are combining their resources to refresh and recharge the notions of this powerful industry within Great Britain.

One of the Largest Manufacturers in the World

It often strikes the average layperson that Great Britain is one of the world’s leading manufacturers. In fact, the manufacturing sector contributes more than £140 billion to the United Kingdom’s economy. Why does all of this matter? As the world moves into an uncertain future, with the economies around the world in tepid waters, struggling to determine where the best approach to the future will lie, manufacturing has taken a bit of a back seat as far as its importance, at least as far as the public is concerned.

However, in reality, manufacturing has been and will remain a vital component of growth and prosperity well into the future for this great nation and the Make it in Great Britain campaign will highlight this and launch us into a prosperous future.

29 Mar 2012

The Bright Future of the Energy Industry in the UK

While the world continues to struggle with thin future employment prospects, the world of power generation in the UK is looking brighter every day (pun definitely intended).

Here’s a piece from The Telegraph detailing bleak job prospects for 2012, especially for young people, as corporations refuse to hire new staff.

There are many changes through regulations, requirements, and demand that are lining up to transcend the potential of energy production that had been imagined only a few short years ago. Countless people from around the country and around the world had been demanding that society take a closer look at the way it produces energy and find alternative solutions that could be more cost effective and, perhaps more importantly, safer for the environment and the consumer public at large.

The Catalyst That Changes Everything

Yet few individuals are truly willing to make changes when it comes to energy production until there is a breaking point. What has been good enough for a while will continue to be good enough. Then, suddenly, the global economy takes a hit, falters, and reels into a recession that it continues to struggle to climb out from under to this day. Energy, more specifically electricity, is one of those ‘luxuries’ that most of us have taken for granted for far too long.

Now we have to take a long, hard look at how we produce the electricity, how to transmit it effectively to a growing population, and how to do so with an ever-increasing demand for that energy.

Have a read of this article, also from The Telegraph, detailing how energy from swimming fish could be captured and fed into the national grid in order to power homes in the UK.

Welcome to the World of Engineering

This becomes the pivotal moment where engineering becomes crucial. For far too long the general public has either been taught that engineers are a luxury or individuals who are not worth nearly as much as they claim to be. Yet now society is beginning to realize the importance of engineers to make preparations, design plans for the future of energy production and transmission, and do so with that growing demand for power.

The energy production industry is seeking engineering minds that have the desire to work hard, be innovative, to think outside the box, and are willing to dive into the world of energy production. The industry leaders are not as concerned with experience within the field as they are with the transferable skills that each engineer would possess. The growing field of nuclear generation is merely one example of where these vital engineering minds are required.

Here’s a piece in The Engineer that discusses the bright future of Careers in the Energy Industry in more detail.

Wind turbines, most of which are housed offshore, are another example. Solar energy is yet another example of the sectors within energy production where the right engineers can put their experience and desire to make a difference to work in the world of energy for millions of consumers. With a wide open future, anything is possible.

22 Mar 2012

PRV Engineering Hits the Mobile Information Superhighway

Thanks to the massive advances in modern computer technology, more consumers are hitting the road, or their commute, with mobile apps, phones, and tablets. The revolution in internet technology and capability means that while websites have become an integral part of modern business success, more and more people are connecting to the internet through their mobile devices. This also means that the full size and fully functioning websites that are designed and built with the regular computer in mind (all that RAM and working memory), need to be streamlined to operate effectively on these mobile devices.

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15 Mar 2012

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9 Mar 2012

‘Apprenticeships’ in the UK Are an Underwhelming Story for Engineers

During recent years, there have been calls for the UK to do more to promote apprenticeships for those young students and ambitious young adults who desire the opportunities that apprenticeships offer. As a result, a push was made to increase apprenticeships throughout the country and recently there has been a fair amount of coverage lauding the progress of these programs. Here’s a recent article on how Tesco is to create 20,000 new jobs, and open apprenticeships to external candidates.

This all may sound like great news for young, eager engineers in the making, interested in snagging an apprenticeship, but upon closer inspection, the numbers are a bit deceptive.

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6 Mar 2012

Copper Thefts and Their Affect on the UK’s Railroads

As the economy throughout the world, and in Great Britain began to sink at the latter part of the last decade, copper thefts were on the rise. There is a direct and measurable correlation between a poor economy and copper thefts, which is tied together through a complex equation of supply and demand. While homeowners and businesses have faced the prospect of having pipes and electrical wiring stolen from their vacant properties, it has moved into more occupied space, as well as other industries.

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16 Feb 2012

A Peek Into the Future of Engineering Apprenticeship Potential

During a time when there seems to be a war waged against engineers through the United Kingdom, there are signs of good tidings coming in the future. While the requirements and opportunities for engineering certifications and programs are changing and being severely limited, the National Apprenticeship Service has announced that it will be working with the Baker Dearing Educational Trust to help bring apprenticeships in University Technical Colleges.

With more potential opportunities for young people to explore and learn about engineering, this will open a wealth of possibilities for not only these young, ambitious students, but also for the industries that rely on their experience, education, and creative energies. Aston University Engineering Academy will become the test pilot for this program and their focus on 14 to 19 year old students.

What This May Mean for the Future During Uncertain Times

The engineering profession that has been under assault lately due to a gross undervaluation of not only its service provided to many industries but also due to a misconception of the qualities that apprentices have as well as the education efficiency of these programs. The recent moves to limit the educational classification of these programs turned a bright light on an industry that has flown considerably beneath the radar of society.

With so many innovative engineers filing through the ranks over the years in programs that helped them capitalize on their strengths rather than attempting to highlight their weaknesses, these recent changes have left numerous students in a world of limbo, feeling abandoned by the officials who are entrusted with securing them the rights and opportunities to pursue their dreams.

With this announcement, more light is being filtered back into the industry’s future. A program such as this will be not simply an educational process for students but also a form of employment and training. This is where engineers-in-the-making gain the greatest value from their education and the experience that separates the world of engineering from many other industries.

As the world embraces the future of technology and the ever-growing demands to become innovative with technology, not only to meet the needs of society and the environmental causes, it is critical that we not turn a naïve mind to those who will become the engineering leaders of tomorrow. It is crucial that we place the proper value on the field of engineering so that we can produce the innovation designs and revolutions that help shape a brighter and stronger future for the world.

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