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

  • 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…

  • February Highlights on EngX: AI shifts, cyber reality checks, and conversations that got us thinking

    February on EngX brought another lively mix of thought‑provoking blogs, practical engineering discussions and broader reflections on how technology is shaping the world we work in. From unravelling sustainability terminology to exploring the foundations of AI, assessing the UK's cyber readiness and reflecting on the potential of hydro sites for pumped‑storage energy, the community continued to share knowledge and support one another. Here’s a round‑up of what caught the eye this month. Blogs worth a read ClimateTech, CleanTech, DeepTech… what’s the difference? Dr. Mohammad Harris tackled an issue that resonates across engineering and sustainability circles, the confusing overlap between terms like climate tech, clean tech and deep tech. Speaking from industry experience, he explained…

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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

  • IBM and US government plan US-based $2bn quantum wafer foundry

    IBM and the US Department of Commerce have announced plans for a US-based quantum chip foundry aimed at scaling quantum computing from laboratory research towards industrial-scale manufacturing. The quantum foundry will be built by a standalone IBM company called Anderon, which will see $1bn in funding from the US Department of Commerce under the CHIPS and Science Act and a further $1bn from IBM itself. The US tech giant will also invest intellectual property, assets and a skilled workforce to the initiative. Based in Albany, New York, the project aims to create a purpose-built quantum fabrication platform to manufacture wafers for multiple quantum technology companies across the globe. Anderon’s facility is expected to support 300mm wafer processing for quantum hardware including superconducting…

  • Modular micro-refineries to extract rare earths from waste streams at source

    A UK tech firm has developed modular micro-refineries to extract and process rare earth elements from industrial waste at source, reducing reliance on China. Silex World, a spin-out from the University of Leeds, has launched a modular micro-refinery that can recover and recycle rare earth elements and other metals locally from waste streams, instead of sending the waste away to large centralised refineries. Rare earth elements feature in a vast array of high-tech and everyday products, from electronics and medical equipment to clean energy and defence systems. While these elements are primarily extracted through mining, there is also a growing market to extract these elements from end-of-life products or electronics waste and refine them so they can be reused. Currently, China is a dominant…

  • World’s first power grid in space set to be reality as Star Catcher secures $65m

    US-based Star Catcher Industries has raised $65m to bring the “first space-based energy grid” to orbit, with a demonstration mission planned for later in 2026. Founded less than two years ago, Star Catcher is developing a space-based energy network designed to power satellites and other spacecraft in low-Earth orbit. Its ‘Star Catcher Network’ uses optical power beaming technology or lasers to wirelessly transmit energy on demand. The system works by collecting and concentrating diffuse sunlight, converting it into wavelengths optimised for standard satellite solar panels, and beaming it precisely to spacecraft. The company says that this technology is compatible across existing satellite systems, allowing satellites to generate between 10 times the amount of power they would generate…

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