Newcastle born engineer Professor Barry Clarke was today inaugurated as the 148th president of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) – an influential body representing the 80,000 civil engineers across the world who design, build and maintain our infrastructure.
Clarke, who grew up in Newcastle and attended Newcastle University, has been a civil engineer and ICE member for over 44 years, specialising in ground engineering and finding sustainable solutions to ground related problems. After graduating he worked in the West Indies then came back to pursue a career in research at the University of Cambridge. In 1984, Clarke returned to his Newcastle roots as a lecturer at Newcastle University. He then became the University’s Professor of Geotechnical Engineering and by 1998 was the Head of Civil Engineering. In 2003 he was appointment as Dean of Business Development for science and engineering, before joining Leeds University as Professor of Civil Engineering Geotechnics four years ago.
An audience of over 300 politicians and built environment professionals came to hear Clarke deliver his presidential address at a ceremony in London last night, which focussed on the need to inspire the next generation of civil engineers and ensure we can meet the infrastructure needs of the 21st century.
“Minor infrastructure maintenance, right through to delivering major future projects such as HS2 and whole scale restructuring of our energy infrastructure over the next 10-20 years, cannot happen without engineers.” he said.
The Royal Academy of Engineering estimates that 820,000 science, engineering and technology professionals will be needed by 2020 - with 80% of these required in engineering. There are currently around 50,000 civil engineers in the UK with around 5,000 graduates joining civil engineering degree programmes in the UK every year. This year saw a 12% drop in the number of civil engineering course applications.
Clarke added: “The road ahead is challenging, but it is also filled with opportunity at every turn. We – the industry – must do more to engage with young people, improve their understanding of civil engineering and inspire them to consider it as a career. It’s the only way we as a profession can continue to deliver the infrastructure that society so badly needs.”
Clarke encouraged celebrating and showcasing our country’s most breathtaking infrastructure projects to capture the imagination of young people and show the diversity of civil engineering.
He talked of the London 2012 Olympic Park, where civil engineers, working alongside other built environment professionals, designed and built the venues, built 30 new bridges, restored 8.35km of waterways, and built 1.8km of sewer tunnels underneath the site. They also oversaw the demolition of over 200 buildings, the cleaning of more than two million tonnes of soil and the protection of wildlife and plant species.
He also spoke of inspiring engineering feats in the North East including the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
But he stressed that capturing the imagination of young people required engagement at an early age to ensure they are steered down the right educational path in order to pursue engineering.
“Young people will have started to make choices which affect their career path at the age of 11 - more than 10 years before they graduate.” he said.
“ICE has a dedicated under-19s programme which includes mentoring, competitions and direct engagement with schools to promote civil engineering as a career choice - and importantly, the curriculum choices that need to be made pre-19 to become an engineer.
“But we all can and should do more. I actually believe it’s our graduates, acting as STEM ambassadors, who have the most potential to inspire the next generation as they represent an achievable position and exude the energy youngsters can associate with.
“There are only 400 civil engineering ambassadors – staggeringly, that equates to only one for every two thousand 11 year olds. I hope to see more young engineers come forward to take on this rewarding role and help inspire the next generation of civil engineers.”