Latest Insights from the EngX Community

  • Ambition vs Capability: Is the UK’s Space Vision Outpacing Its Engineering Talent?

    With growing investment in sovereign capability, resilient communications, and next-generation connectivity—including Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and advanced Satcom—the UK’s ambition is clear. However, ambition alone does not deliver capability. The real question is whether the nation’s engineering talent base is keeping pace with the scale and complexity of these aspirations. Across industry, there is increasing concern that the UK is not producing sufficient expertise in critical domains such as radio frequency (RF) and microwave engineering, FPGA development, and digital signal processing (DSP)—skills that underpin modern satellite and defence systems. Evidence suggests this gap is both structural and persistent. According to EngineeringUK, the UK requires approximately 173,000 new…

  • Henry Gantt and the Engineering of Time, Work and Delivery

    For practising engineers, few tools are as quietly influential as the Gantt chart. It appears in project reviews, capital programmes, system integrations and infrastructure upgrades across almost every engineering discipline. Yet its origins trace back to a single engineer born on 20 May 1861: Henry Laurence Gantt. On this day, it is worth revisiting not just the chart that bears his name, but the wider engineering problem Gantt was trying to solve, how to design work itself so that complex systems could be delivered reliably, humanely and at scale. The engineering context of Gantt’s era Gantt came of age during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when engineering was being transformed by industrialisation, electrification and mass production. Factories, shipyards and railways were…

  • How are you feeling? How Foothold’s free tool can support your mental health

    "How are you feeling?" It’s a question so many of us avoid giving the real answer to. "Fine, thanks", we tend to answer. The problem is, when you live in a culture or environment where being open about your emotions is rare, it can be more difficult to work out how you actually feel. You might think, "I tell other people I’m fine, so I guess I’m fine". It’s easier. It’s quicker. It doesn’t involve exploring uncomfortable feelings, or having difficult conversations. We’re not advising you give an honest and detailed answer the next time the supermarket cashier asks you how your day is. However, it’s possible to achieve a healthy middle ground where you can allow yourself to feel your feelings, recognise them as they arise, and have strategies you can use to look after yourself. Understand…

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Latest IET EngX News

  • AI, Engineering Skills and Real‑World Challenges: May's highlights on EngX

    As we wrap up May, it has been another thoughtful and wide‑ranging month across the IET EngX community. From deep dives into engineering history and emerging technology challenges to open conversations around skills, wellbeing, and global impact, members have continued to share insight, experience and practical knowledge. Here are some of our top highlights from across EngX in May. Top Discussions This Month The forums have been as active as ever, with conversations spanning cutting‑edge technology, career development, and practical engineering challenges. A number of threads explored AI and digital transformation, including discussions such as Beyond hype: uncovering the critical research axes and future trajectories of AI‑driven digital transformation and Zero Trust was not built…

  • From Space Stories to Smart Systems: April on EngX

    April on EngX brought together a thoughtful mix of emerging technologies, industry insight and personal journeys. From a closer look at how 5G networks are evolving behind the scenes to fresh perspectives on the continuing influence of broadcast media, the blogs this month highlighted both the pace of change and the importance of understanding the fundamentals. Alongside these, inspiring career stories and reflections on the history of space exploration added a more human dimension, while discussions across the forums explored automation, energy systems and real‑world engineering trade‑offs. Here’s a look at some of the content that stood out this month: Blogs worth a read Massive MIMO: the brains behind 5G networks This detailed post from Soubhagya Ranjan Mohapatra explores how Massive…

    Lisa Miles
    Lisa Miles

  • March Highlights on EngX: AI Insights, Inclusive Voices and Engineering Impact

    March was a month packed with fresh technical thinking, practical guidance, and human‑centred stories across the EngX community. From deep dives into industrial AI to personal reflections from engineers shaping their workplaces, here’s your roundup of what captured attention and sparked conversation this month. AI in Manufacturing: Why So Many Initiatives Stall One of the most thought‑provoking reads this month came from Dr Paul Johnson , whose article AI in Manufacturing: Why Most Initiatives Fail & How to Deliver Real Engineering Value explores why organisations continue to struggle with turning AI investment into meaningful operational outcomes. Johnson illustrates this through a real‑world predictive maintenance example where an AI model successfully identified early warning signs…

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Latest Partner News

  • Josie Harries discusses how Domino is working to increase support for women in the workplace

    Encouraging women to choose careers in STEM subjects has been top of the agenda for many years – but what fresh ideas can you introduce within the workplace to attract and support female employees? At Domino, we are committed to improving the gender ratio in leadership roles within a business to 40% by 2030. This target, endorsed from Board level down, now stands at 25%, from a starting figure of 18%. Support networks Recently we re-launched our Women@Domino global network to promote inclusion within the business and facilitate the sharing of ideas and experiences, as well as networking, mentoring, events and training. Gender was also one of three key areas in our new Inclusion & Diversity strategy. The network is not limited to female employees; male colleagues are encouraged to participate…

  • Road to Engineering event introduces children to the world of engineering

    BAE System's Submarines Academy for Skills and Knowledge (SASK), Barrow-in-Furness successfully hosted the 6th Road to Engineering event which took place over three action-packed days. Over 200 children from the Furness area participated in the event which aims to inspire future careers in Engineering. This year's theme was 'Adapt and Change' following the British Science week theme. Supporting the event were the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, Barrow District of Associate Engineers and the Royal Institute of Naval Architects who contributed valuable insight, merchandise and STEM packs for schools. Stephen Rowe, Project Director of Engineering Transformation said, "It was a privilege to attend the Road to Engineering event and…

  • H&MV Engineering appointed as principal designer and contractor for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)

    H&MV Engineering has been appointed as principal designer and contractor for the delivery of the 400 kV grid connection and electrical infrastructure for the Thorpe Marsh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) – the largest of its kind in the UK and among the largest in Europe. This landmark project, led by Fidra Energy and backed by major investment from EIG and the UK Government’s National Wealth Fund (NWF), has now reached financial close with construction commencing immediately. Located on the site of the former Thorpe Marsh coal-fired power station in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, the 1,400MW / 3,100MWh facility will be capable of exporting over 2 million MWh annually, supplying clean energy to approximately 785,000 homes. Once operational in mid-2027, it will be three times larger than…

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Latest articles from E+T Magazine

  • Smart glasses and AI pose growing threat to exam integrity, says Ofqual

    Gadgets including smart glasses and invisible earpieces could undermine the legitimacy of the exam system by making it easier for students to cheat, the chief of Ofqual has warned. Chief regulator Sir Ian Bauckham, who leads the body that regulates Britain’s qualifications and examinations, said that Ofqual had to “move really fast, because technology is moving fast”. The regulator’s own data showed that mobile phone and smart device offences accounted for 2,225 malpractice cases in the summer 2025 exam series, or 44.3% of all cases. It has been the most common category of cheating in every summer exam series since 2018. Devices such as Monorean Pro explicitly advertise their ability to “cheat on a test without getting caught”, incorporating miniature Bluetooth earpieces and device controls…

  • Floating 400kW solar farm powers up at Cheshire quarry

    A 400kW floating photovoltaic (FPV) array has been installed at Bathgate Silica Sand’s Cheshire quarry to supply the industrial sand producer with renewable electricity. Made up of 650 floating solar panels on North Arclid Lake, the array was installed over a six-month period by Scottish marine energy firm Nova. Developed in partnership with environmental engineering firm RSK Group, work on the project began in December 2025, with first power delivered in May 2026. Quarry operations were able to continue as normal during the entire project installation. The array, which is the size of two Olympic swimming pools, will help Bathgate Silica Sand to decarbonise its century-old quarry operations and reduce its energy bills. While conventional solar farms sometimes attract controversy because…

  • Train passengers being forced ‘off grid’ by poor mobile phone signals, warns Ofcom

    Ofcom is calling for a nationwide effort to improve mobile connectivity across the UK rail network. The UK communications regulator measured mobile performance across 24 segments of key railway lines covering England, Scotland and Wales. The research revealed that mobile performance was poor on between 58% and 83% of tests carried out on trains, depending on mobile network. Good performance is defined as achieving minimum download speeds of 5Mbits per second, upload speeds of at least 1.5Mbits per second, and a response time of 50 milliseconds or less. This would typically allow people to make video calls, stream content or scroll social media. EE met those good performance standards 42% of the time, Three met them 21% of the time, O2 20% and Vodafone only 17%. Ofcom says that these…

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