Legislation & Skills

The theme for International Women in Engineering Day (INWED) 2018, which takes place on 23 June, is to raise the bar for women in engineering.  It sees a need to heighten expectations for female engineers, there are still a plenty of myths and misconceptions to quash about working in the industry.  So Emma Cygan, design and development engineer at steering ...

Boosting the digital skills of UK students is the remit of an on-going collaboration between Siemens and Newcastle University. The University this week saw the opening of the MindSphere Lab which will provide students with access to data from a number of projects across sectors including infrastructure, manufacturing, water and energy. Professor John Fitzgerald, Head of Newcastle University’s School of ...

With the growing importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the sourcing of raw materials, connector and shielding manufacturer Harwin has appointed Ottawa-based regulatory software and services firm Assent Compliance. Assent will be involved in carrying out any required investigations across Harwin’s global network of suppliers with regard to RoHS and REACH environmental directives, as well as issues concerning conflict ...

TechUK moves to further drive out modern slavery from tech supply chains. A  report on modern slavery reporting standards in the tech sector from techUK makes recommendations for both businesses and Government to help improve the quality of reporting. The 2015 Modern Slavery Act is one of the world’s first national laws for combatting modern slavery. The tech sector is ...

The Government is promoting gender diversity in the tech sector and will sign up to the Tech Talent Charter, an initiative tackling the gender imbalance in the tech workforce. The Tech Talent Charter covers all organisations employing people in technology roles and commits signatories to including women on interview shortlists wherever possible and collecting and submitting anonymised data for an ...

The number of jobs advertised in the UK technology sector grew by 12%  last year, one of the fastest rates across UK industries, according to new data from Reed Technology. The agency’s survey also found that advertised salaries in the sector grew by 1.6%  in the last year alone with advertised salaries for some roles increasing as much as 9% ...

Digital and Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has told businesses to prepare for stronger data protection laws. Speaking from Davos, where he has been reaffirming the UK’s commitment to AI, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said the government was strengthening the UK’s data protection laws to give people more control over their own data. However, ...

The Royal Academy of Engineering has welcomed the government’s industrial strategy white paper, Building a Britain fit for the future, because it takes inclusive approach to address the need for digital skills and focuses on the technologies for artificial intelligence and big data. Professor Dame Ann Dowling, president of the Royal Academy of Engineering, writes: “Now is the time to ramp ...

If the Chancellor hoped to woo the tech sector with £500 million support in the Budget for AI and handouts for broadband, 5G and smart cities he will be disappointed. The tech sector may find it difficult to see the positives in Philip Hammond’s ‘tech-boosting’ Autumn Budget. The tech sector seems to be unimpressed and it still has fears over Brexit ...

The University of Hertfordshire is launching an engineering degree-level apprenticeship programme. Trainee engineers will be able to combine work and study, from September 2018, with an Engineering Degree Apprenticeship. The University is offering engineering courses in mechanical, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace or electronic engineering. Degree Apprenticeships are a pathway to gaining a degree-level qualification, while also gaining on-the-job practical salaried experience ...