The Future of Engineering: Build Sustainability into Your Lessons

In the rapidly evolving world of engineering, sustainability has emerged as a pivotal focus, not only for the industry itself but for the courses available for future engineers. For lecturers in Further Education, this presents a unique opportunity and responsibility to lead the way in embedding sustainability within the curriculum.

The Rising Demand for Green Skills

Demand for engineers equipped with knowledge of sustainability is on the rise, as evidenced by a 48%,, increase in engineering job advertisements mentioning a 'green skill', according to a report by Lightcast for EngineeringUK.

This surge reflects a broader trend where engineering roles are seen as crucial in addressing challenges such as climate change and the conservation of our planet. In fact, nearly two-thirds of UK adults ,(64%), recognise the critical role engineering plays in tackling societal issues, reports the Institute of Mechanical Engineers.

With companies such as Lendlease Living, a London-based construction company making a push for,net,zero,homes,, it’s anticipated that the need for sustainable engineers from plumbing to solar power will only continue to grow.

Empowering Students through Sustainable Education

For lecturers, the task is clear but challenging; prepare students for the evolving demands of the workforce. Here’s how you can integrate sustainability into your engineering courses:

1. Sustainability-Focused Projects

Incorporate projects that prioritise sustainable practices. This could involve designing energy-efficient systems or creating solutions for waste reduction. Not only do these projects provide practical learning experiences, but they also instil a mindset geared towards sustainability.

2. Teach Industry Case Studies

Showcase real-world examples where engineering innovations have driven sustainability. Discuss companies or projects that have successfully integrated sustainable practices, highlighting both the challenges and successes. This contextual understanding can inspire students and provide tangible insights into the industry's future.

3. Discuss Innovative Methods

Encourage discussions on how sustainability has transformed engineering methods. Whether it’s through using alternative materials, improving energy efficiency, or implementing circular economy principles, demonstrating these advancements can spark creativity and innovation among students.

4. Product Lifecycle Assessments

Introduce the concept of assessing the environmental impact of products across their lifecycle. This holistic view encourages students to think critically about sustainability from design through disposal, promoting a comprehensive understanding of environmental responsibility.

5. Design for Sustainability

Embed sustainable design principles into the curriculum. Teaching students to consider sustainability from the initial design phase fosters long-term thinking and ensures that they are equipped to incorporate these principles in their future careers. This builds on the topic of the product lifecycle assessment.

It’s clear that engineering lecturers have the power to ignite a passion for sustainability in their students, equipping them with the skills needed to drive change. By integrating sustainability into the curriculum, you can enhance your students' employability and teach them to think outside of the box.

Together, we can help shape the next generation of engineers who will lead the charge towards a sustainable future. Explore our website to discover more resources and join our community of educators committed to being the best.

A Teacher’s Guide to Surviving the Run-Up to the Christmas Holidays!

The countdown to Christmas is well and truly on; shelves are filled with festive treats, trees are festooned with decorations and Christmas adverts have arrived on our screens! However exciting this is, there are certain stresses that arrive with the festive season, especially for educators – from lesson plans to deadlines, and assignments to marking (and the rest!). But, not to worry, we’ve compiled a helpful guide to help you get ahead, so you can get the leg work done and put your feet up over the holidays.

Manage Classroom Expectations:
Students can often become restless and distracted in anticipation of their upcoming Christmas break, so it’s important to set out clear expectations with your class you expect them to continue learning business as usual in terms of lessons and homework. Tailoring the final week of lessons to festive (but educational) topics and a lighter workload is a fantastic incentive for students to meet your expectations and continue to be productive and focussed.

Need inspiration? Take a look at these festive STEM and SEND lesson plans.

Get Ahead of Homework:
If your learners have exams or assignments coming up next year, the Christmas break is a brilliant time to introduce mock exams or work that can help get them prepared to ace their qualifications. Consider setting relevant tasks or homework for your students to do over their holidays, with key resources to build their confidence ahead of exam season.

Prepare for the New Year:
Forget new year new me, get ready for the first week of January before you break for Christmas. Try setting aside some time each week of December to prepare materials, lesson plans, and clear out any clutter or unnecessary paperwork from your desk. By doing this you can free up more time to enjoy the festive break, and avoid building stress about the new year.

Beat Burnout:
With the final few weeks of the year fast approaching, teachers need to be mindful of experiencing burnout. You can take some steps to avoid burnout, our tips?

·       Prioritise self-care, whether this means putting time aside to exercise, read, see friends and family, watch TV or getting an early night, taking time for yourself is non-negotiable.

·       Be organised; when you use a calendar to keep track of tasks, deadlines and priorities you can ensure you know what’s going on at your FE institution and manage your time efficiently.

·       Seek help, be it from colleagues and friends or by a professional, knowing when to reach out is important – looking for help? EducationSupport have resources for educators and a helpline on their website.

 Don’t Forget YOUR Christmas:
Dedicating time in the next month to plan your own festive break will help to keep you motivated and ensure that you don’t leave your own festivities to the last minute. This can be as simple as starting your present shopping, securing your “secret santa” or making sure you know where your decorations are. Or, you could carve out time to organise your day down to the minute, and have all of your favourite festive films ready to watch.

By setting classroom boundaries, planning ahead, prioritising self-care and investing in your own break, we hope our guide can help you survive the lead up to the festive break with enough time and energy to enjoy Christmas yourself. After all, this season is supposed to be merry and bright! So, when you finally break up from teaching at your college for the holidays, we hope you have a fantastic festive time; you deserve it.

Further Education: Are You Eligible for Incentive Payments?

The government is releasing incentive payments to show support for Further Education teachers, and applications opened this month! Between 14th October 2024 and 31st March 2025 is your chance to apply.

What is a Retention Incentive Payment?

These are financial bonuses offered to lecturers and instructors in high-demand subjects (such as educators in STEM or Early Years). By providing these incentives, the government hopes to retain experienced and qualified teachers, ensuring that FE colleges have the skilled staff necessary to deliver quality education.

Who Can Apply?

These are some of the conditions you need to meet:

•​Teaching Experience: You must be in the first five years of your FE teaching career (2019+). 

•​Teaching Pattern: You must teach more than 2.5 hours a week.

•​Student Ages: Over half of your students are aged 16 to 19 (or up to age 25 if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan).

•​Course and Student Focus: At least 50% of your teaching hours must be spent teaching eligible FE courses (listed below) at level 3 or lower.

If you hold only an assessor qualification, you will need to enrol in a teaching qualification within the next 12 months to remain eligible.

Which Subjects are Eligible?

The following subjects are eligible for the 2024-2025 academic year:

•​Building and Construction

•​Chemistry

•​Computing (including digital and ICT)

•​Early Years

•​Engineering and Manufacturing (including transport engineering and electronics)

•​Maths

•​Physics

To find out if your specific course qualifies, be sure to take a look at the full list of eligible FE courses. This list will be updated in spring 2025 with any changes for the 2025-2026 academic year.

What You Could Receive

The retention incentive payment ranges between £2,000 and £6,000, depending on factors such as the FE provider where you teach and the level of disadvantaged students you teach.

Payments are made in a lump sum each year. The amount you receive depends on your teaching hours:

•​2.5 to 12 hours per week: £2,000 to £3,000

•​12 hours or more per week: £4,000 to £6,000

For teachers on short-term or variable contracts, eligibility is based on teaching for one full term before applying and already being scheduled to teach in the following term. 

When and How to Apply

For the 2024-2025 academic year, the application window is now open, and you must submit your claim by 31st March 2025. 

You can apply via the official page!

The targeted retention incentive is a great opportunity for new FE teachers working in critical subject areas to receive financial support.

Retrofits: A Key Skill for Construction Tradespeople

Retrofits: A Key Skill for Construction Tradespeople

As the UK grapples with soaring energy prices and the urgent necessity to slash carbon emissions to achieve net zero by 2050,, the retrofitting of existing buildings has become essential. 

 What is a Retrofit?

Out with the old, in with the new! Retrofit refers to any improvement work on an existing building which enhances its energy efficiency. Efficiency can be achieved by using renewable energy and ensuring the building retains heat better. By retrofitting, you cut the occupant’s energy costs and reduce the reliance on fossil fuels.

Why Retrofit Skills Are In-Demand

The demand for retrofit skills among construction tradespeople is growing for several reasons:

- Government Initiatives: There are various government programs and incentives aimed at promoting energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions, creating more opportunities for tradespeople skilled in retrofitting.

- Economic Benefits: Homeowners are looking to reduce their energy bills, and retrofitting provides a practical solution. Skilled tradespeople can capitalise on this demand.

- Environmental Awareness: As awareness of climate change grows, more people are motivated to make their homes eco-friendly, increasing the need for retrofit expertise.

Helping Homeowners:

Approximately 38% of UK properties were built before 1946,, characterised by poor insulation, draughts, dampness, and condensation. These issues lead to significant energy wastage as heating systems work harder to maintain warmth, driving up costs.

By retrofitting, you’ll help the homeowners address these problems, leading to:

• Reduced Energy Bills: Improved insulation and draught-proofing reduce the energy needed to heat homes, resulting in lower bills.

• Enhanced Comfort and Health: A well-insulated home stays warmer, which can improve overall health and well-being by preventing issues associated with cold living conditions.

• Environmental Benefits: Retrofitting reduces the carbon footprint by minimising energy waste and promoting the use of renewable energy.

Starting Your Retrofit Journey

Between 135,000 and 725,000 net new jobs, could be created by 2030 in low-carbon sectors, such as building retrofits. Learning retrofit skills will open doors in your career!

Why not pick up this skill through helpful courses? They’ll prepare your ability to assess a home’s construction, adaptations, and usage to recommend the most effective measures. Your expertise will ensure that retrofits are done correctly.

Some tradespeople may assume upskilling yourself to work retrofits may be daunting. But these are simple and approachable courses with varying degrees of challenge:

1. Level 3 Award in Introduction to Domestic Retrofit

2. Level 5 Diploma in Retrofit Coordination and Risk Assessment

3. Level 3 Award in Energy Efficiency for Older and Traditional Buildings

4. Level 3 Certificate in Domestic Energy Assessment, and Retrofit Assessor Training, (package for new entrants)

5. Retrofit Assessor Training (for existing DEAs)

There may even be opportunities for your studies to be funded!

Retrofit Academy  offer FREE retrofit training courses,! Special funding is also available to ex-service and military personnel through ELCAS,!

Conclusion

Everyone can relate to the cost-of-living crisis in the UK, but performing retrofits is a chance to help people combat this crisis.

Retrofitting is more than just a trend; it’s a necessity for achieving net-zero targets and tackling rising energy costs. For Construction Tradespeople, developing retrofit skills opens up a world of opportunities in an expanding market. By helping homeowners make their properties more energy-efficient, tradespeople are not only contributing to a greener future but also ensuring a healthier, more cost-effective living environment for everyone.

Building an Inclusive and Diverse Work Culture at Your College

Building an Inclusive and Diverse Work Culture at Your College

As we conclude Diversity and Inclusion Month, let’s reflect on the modern approach to inclusivity in the workplace. For colleges, it’s important to set a strong example for students by embracing diversity in a sensitive way. Whilst you may already work hard to ensure an inclusive environment and fair hiring process, there are some factors that you could consider.

The Foundations of Inclusive Hiring Practices:

Unconscious Bias Training

At the heart of an inclusive work culture lies the hiring process. It's here that the commitment to diversity must begin, not as a box-ticking exercise but as a genuine effort to enrich the academic community with a wide array of perspectives and experiences. This involves not only expanding where and how we search for candidates but also scrutinising our interview and selection processes for unconscious biases that might inadvertently favour certain groups over others. Often, these traits aren’t even known to the interviewer.

For information on what to be aware of and, more importantly, how to adapt to change, see the Unconscious Bias Training report.

CIPDs Inclusive Recruitment Guide

Depending on your college’s resources it’s encouraged to take large steps towards accessibility at each stage of a candidate’s application. According to the CIPD's inclusive recruitment guide, this involves more than just non-discriminatory job descriptions. It encompasses structured interviews, diverse hiring panels, and the implementation of equal hiring training programs to mitigate unconscious bias.

Many assume that asking standardised questions to all candidates makes the process equal. However, these questions should be carefully cultivated. Members of staff with the authority to interview candidates should be trained in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Whilst formal training isn’t compulsory, there are many training providers that can educate your teams on this subject.

Training provided by organisations such as Equality and Diversity UK can empower HR professionals and managers to effectively discuss diversity and inclusion with their teams, fostering a culture of openness and continuous improvement.

Cultural Research and Sensitivity

Once hired, the focus shifts to maintaining an inclusive environment that respects and celebrates differences.

More than just acknowledging cultural differences, cultural sensitivity requires active efforts to understand these differences and how they can enrich the college environment. Whilst you cannot be an expert in all cultures, it’s important to be prepared for differences that may come up from candidates and current staff.

Multilingual Resources

Implementing multilingual resources is a step towards this inclusivity. With tools like Microsoft Translator, educational institutions can offer subtitled presentations and translated materials for onboarding support staff, ensuring that language barriers do not hinder anyone’s ability to contribute or belong. These can also be used to aid educators in bypassing some language barriers with non-native English-speaking students.

The Impact of Diversity and Inclusion

Beyond ethical considerations, inclusive environments promote creativity, innovation, and a broader understanding of the world. A diverse and respectful staff of educators is an inspiration for students who will operate in a globalised economy, enhancing their empathy, cultural awareness, and ability to work across differences.

According to the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER), being taught by a “same-race” educator can have benefits in your inter-personal relationship, feeling relatable to a role model in education.

Encouraging Regular Feedback and Communication

Through regular feedback sessions, you can continually refine and improve inclusivity efforts. By taking anonymous surveys and encouraging staff and student feedback, your college can continue to grow and develop policies best suited to your workplace. It’s through continued feedback that we keep growing.

Conclusion

Building an inclusive and diverse work culture in colleges and universities is a comprehensive process that extends beyond hiring practices. It requires a commitment to ongoing education, open dialogue, and the implementation of supportive resources. By prioritising inclusivity, institutions can create welcoming environments that not only attract a diverse pool of talent but also prepare students for the challenges and opportunities of the wider world.

There’s a lot of ideas you can implement; where will you start?