Articles
Guest blog: AI and professional registration
Catherine Elliott, Education and Skills Manager, Engineering Council Although Artificial Intelligence (AI) is not new, recent technologial advances mean that it is more readily accessible than ever before. The DfE...
IfATE Lifelong Learning Entitlement Consultation response
The Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education consulted on how the employer stamp of approval should be granted to qualifications funded through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), seeking input on...
Latest news from the world of engineering
25th April 2024: Artifical Intelligence and professional registration The Engineering Council’s Artificial Intelligence Working Group is now keen to understand academics’ experiences of AI in your Department and have partnered...
Engineering Ethics Toolkit in the news
The #EngineeringEthicsToolkit as featured in external news articles, blogs, podcasts etc.
EPC engineering enrolments survey: your views are important to us
Every autumn, the EPC conducts a survey of our member universities to determine an indicative snapshot of engineering undergraduate and postgraduate enrolments across the sector. We are grateful to our...
Blog: There are no foreign lands. It is the traveller only who is foreign.
Mike Murray, [Senior Teaching Fellow in Construction Management], discusses how he developed and implemented a teaching resource in the Sustainability Toolkit, and what he’s learned from integrating it into his...
Why did you decide to be an engineer?
The inspiring keynote from 3rd year Chemical Engineering student Kayley Thacker that took the Royal Academy of Engineering by storm at the launch of Engineers 2030 and the EPC's own...
Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering: A path to better understanding
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, today's guest blog visits what we know and what we don't know about neurodiversity in HE engineering. Prof Beverley Gibbs PhD CEng FIET is Director...
Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering: A path to professional registration
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we share details of the Engineering Council's 'Guidance Note on supporting neurodivergent applicants for registration' Ben Jones is Product Manager at the Engineering Council. Carolyn...
Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering: A path to a neuro-inclusive future
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, our own EPC student data fellow makes a compelling case for a neurodiversity-affirming approach in engineering HE. Zoe McCready is a final year Politics and...
Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering: A path to success through lived experience
For Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we hear from an experienced professional in ground engineering a who is neurodivergent (autistic, dyslexic, and dyspraxic) and visually impaired. Martin Griffin (CEng, FIMMM, CGeol,...
Media Release: Engineering Professors’ Council launches major new resource to transform sustainability in engineering education
Media release 18th March 2024 As part of a major initiative to ensure the engineers of tomorrow can rise to the challenges of the climate emergency, the Engineering Professors’ Council...
Embracing Neurodiversity in Engineering: A path to sustainable development
To kick off Neurodiversity Celebration Week, we bring you the first of a series of guest blogs... Prof Amanda Kirby, Neurodiversity expert and founder and CEO of Do-IT Solutions...
Blog: Welcome to the EPC's new Sustainability Toolkit
The EPC has introduced a major new initiative to ensure the engineers of tomorrow can rise to the challenges of the climate emergency: The Sustainability Toolkit, produced with support from...
IfATE Lifelong Learning Entitlement Consultation
The EPC response to this consultation can be found here. The Institute of Apprenticeships and Technical Education is consulting on how the employer stamp of approval should be granted to...
Lifelong Learning Entitlement
By Joshua Mitchell, EPC Data Fellow What is the Lifelong Learning Entitlement The Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) is a scheme designed to change access to and the whole overarching purpose...
Guest blog: International women’s day: let’s tackle the sexism in engineering
Jessica Upton You don’t need to look beyond the gender imbalance in engineering to realise that the sector has a problem. This International Women’s Day, I’d like to celebrate those...
In memoriam: Dr Thurai Rahulan
This tribute to Thurai Rahulan, a much-loved and admired member of the EPC Board for many years, has been kindly written by Dr. Andreea Koreanschi, his long-standing colleague in Aeronautical...
DfE call for evidence on Generative AI in education consultation response
The EPC's Education, Employability and Skills Committee responded to The Department for Education (DfE) position on generative AI in and subsequent call for evidence. This was informed by a full...
DfE Advanced British Standard consultation
The Department for Education (DfE) is seeking to introduce a new Baccalaureate-style qualification framework for 16 to 19 year-olds, the Advanced British Standard (ABS), over the next decade. This is...
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) Apprenticeship Public Survey
IfATE has launched an Apprenticeship Public Survey for Engineering & Manufacturing. The survey relates to apprenticeship materials across seven routes (including Business & Administration; Creative & Design; Health & Science;...
Ethics Ambassadors - Leadership team confirmed
The Engineering Professors’ Council is pleased to announce the appointment of the leadership team for its Ethics Ambassadors community. The Ethics Ambassadors community was created in March 2023, to expand...
Spotlight on ethics: Methods for assessing and evaluating ethics learning in engineering education
How to assess ethics learning
Spotlight on ethics: Smart homes for older people with disabilities
There's a data breach. What do you do?
Spotlight on ethics: Guidance for ethical decision-making rooted in research and practice
What do engineers need to consider?
Compensation and condonement: how far should accreditation go?
Katy Turff, Deputy CEO of the Engineering Council, invites your views on how much flexibility should be built into accredited courses
Maths for Engineering: Do T levels add up?
Read the findings of the EPC's research project into the suitability of the Maths content of T levels as a pathway into engineering
Spotlight on ethics: Choosing a career in climate change geoengineering
Which job offer should you accept? Why?
Spotlight on ethics: Pedagogical approaches to integrating ethics in engineering
Issues for educators to consider.
Scoop! EPC Engineering Enrolments Survey Results 2023/24
The results of the of the 2023 EPC Engineering Enrolments survey are now available. Our results can be explored using our members-only Data explorer, through the slide-deck or by reading...
Spotlight on ethics: Power-to-food technologies
Could the shift of food production from soil to chemical industries concentrate power in the hands of a few?
Spotlight on ethics: Implementing the use of homegrown mass timber for residential housing
How important is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Construction?
EPC response to OfS consultation on inclusion of Higher Technical Qualifications in student outcome measures
The EPC responsed to the Office for Students (OfS) is consultation on the introduction of a separate “split indicator” for higher technical qualifications (HTQs) to enable the regulation of student...
Spotlight on ethics: Industrial pollution from an ageing pipeline and its impact on local communities
Does an engineer have a responsibility to do anything about potential groundwater pollution?
Spotlight on ethics: Financially and politically motivated misinformation about STEM research
Who should be responsible for the messaging and processes for public health decisions?
What can academics do about the physics teacher crisis, and is it their job to do it?
Engineering academics are in a strong position to influence undergraduate students into teaching, which – as academics know – can be a fulfilling and rewarding careers. The EPC is working...
Spotlight on ethics: Glass safety in a heritage building conversion
Do engineers have a responsibility to warn the public if there is a chance of risk?
Spotlight on ethics: Recycled materials and the circular economy
What is circularity, and how does it relate to climate goals or environmental practice?
Spotlight on ethics: Facial recognition for access and monitoring
This case involves an engineer hired to manage the development and installation of a facial recognition project.
Research Excellence Framework 2028 consultation response
The EPC Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Committee responded to a targeted REF consultation following its earlier input into the key decisions on the high-level design of the next research...
Spotlight on ethics: Balancing safety, costs, and the environment in the inspection of wind turbine blades
What health and safety, environmental, and legal policies affect offshore wind farms?
Guest blog / Call for participation: An EME-focused investigation into barriers facing female engineers
Guest blog: Prof. Roger Penlington BEng PGCertAP PhD FSGT FSEDA SFHEA, Department of Mechanical & Construction Engineering at Northumbria University. Seeking to contact female Engineering staff/students who first studied Engineering...
Siemens blog: Tools for sustainability in engineering education (Report from the SEFI Conference 2023)
The European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI)’s Annual Conference was held this year in Dublin under the theme “Sustainability in Engineering Education.” The UK’s Engineering Professors’ Council were present with...
Spotlight on ethics: Neuroethics of brain-computer interfaces
What are the physical, ethical, and social difficulties that could result from the use of devices that have the ability to directly access the brain and decipher some of its...
Spotlight on ethics: Integrating a technical feasibility debate – a new approach to engaging students in ethics in engineering
Encouraging students to engage with the ethical, moral and environmental aspects of engineering in any meaningful way can be a challenge.
Access and Admissions Forum series 2023
Take a look at our latest not-to-be missed event series - not just for admissions tutors! With the biggest HE access change in decades afoot in the form of the...
OfS call for evidence on positive outcomes for students studying on a modular basis
The Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) - enabling student loan support for individual modules - will be introduced for the 2025-26 academic year. In preparation for this change the OfS asked...
Spotlight on ethics: Developing a decarbonisation roadmap
You are given the task of creating a comprehensive decarbonisation roadmap and presenting it at a stakeholder meeting. How do you go about this?
Spotlight on ethics: Protecting data in an auto parts production facility
"What are the legal issues relating to machine condition monitoring? What ethical codes relate to data security and privacy? What responsibilities do engineers have in developing these technologies?" These are some...
Congress at 30: a new approach
Johnny Rich, EPC Chief Executive 2024 will mark the EPC's 30th birthday. Back when it started, activities focused around a single yearly get-together, the Annual Congress. The EPC has...
Spotlight on ethics: Universal and inclusive co-design of the built environment and the transportation systems
"Universal and inclusive co-design of the built environment and transportation systems must be seen as an ethical act in engineering."
Spotlight on ethics: Feasibility of installing heat pumps at scale to reach net zero
You are an engineering consultant working for a commercial heat pump company. The company handles both the manufacture and installation of heat pumps. You have been called in by a...
Engineering Ethics Toolkit - Tell us your experiences
Send us your blogs and testimonials!
Spotlight on Ethics: Introducing the Ethics Explorer
An interactive tool to help you navigate the landscape.
Spotlight on ethics: Why integrate ethics in engineering?
If you’d like to improve your own ethics learning, then our guidance article Why integrate ethics in engineering? is a great place to start.
Research Excellence Framework 2028
In June 2023, the four UK higher education funding bodies published key decisions on the high-level design of the next research assessment exercise. The EPC’s Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer...
Spotlight on ethics: Debating the adoption of nuclear energy
This case study asks students to identify and define an open-ended problem in engineering
SEFI Conference 2023 - Engineering ethics workshop
Our workshop at the 2023 SEFI Conference in September.
Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable teaching ethics
We need to move past our discomfort in order to teach ethics in engineering.
Spotlight on ethics: Tackling tough topics in discussion
How to make discussing ethical issues less daunting.
Engineering enrolments survey 2023-4
We are excited to launch the EPC engineering enrolment survey 2023/4. The survey will be open throughout October and we encourage each engineering department to respond. If you have completed...
Spotlight on ethics: Balancing risk and benefits when working with offshore contractors
Your contractor might be using forced labour in its workforce. What do you do?
OfS call for evidence on positive outcomes for students studying on a modular basis
The EPC position on this consultation can be found here. The Lifelong Loan Entitlement (LLE) will be introduced for the 2025-26 academic year enabling student loan support for individual modules....
Spotlight on ethics: How to integrate ethics into a module or course
If you’d like to improve your own ethics learning, then our guidance article How to integrate ethics into a module or course is a great place to start.
Spotlight on ethics: Choosing to install a smart meter
Our original case study Choosing to install a smart meter is an example of ‘everyday ethics’. Now we have provided an expansion in the form of a Case enhancement: a technical...
Engineering Ethics Toolkit - Educators' pack
A pack of resources to help you present and promote the Engineering Ethics Toolkit.
Spotlight on ethics: Microplastics in cosmetics
You're an engineering student on an industrial placement year at a company that manufactures cosmetics. You notice that a batch of products might have been contaminated with microplastics. What do...
Spotlight on ethics: Engineers and public protest
As an engineer, you have a duty to ”maximise the public good and minimise both actual and potential adverse effects for their own and succeeding generations”. Should you break the law...
Spotlight on ethics: What is ethics?
"There are three lenses that we can use when thinking about ethics within Engineering: Professional, Theoretical, and Practical." If you'd like to improve your own ethics learning, then our guidance...
OfS invitation to feedback on the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register
The OfS’ invites feedback on the Equality of Opportunity Risk Register. This is an unstructured call with no official deadline The EPC has previously warned the OfS that the EORR...
Spotlight on ethics: Aid vs trade
You're a newly appointed engineer. You're being asked to sell equipment that you believe is entirely unsuitable to a developing country. What do you do?
President's report 2023
For the full year (and more) in review, visit Our activities campaign It’s been another very busy year for the EPC in what continues to be a challenging and evolving...
A focus on...Celebrations
See some of our celebration highlights from the last couple of years, including the EPC President's Prize and more
Contributions sought for the Sustainability Toolkit
For this cycle, this call has now closed. If you have already registered an interest and we are expecting your submission, please do submit your contributions by 3rd November. If...
A focus on...Resources
Within the EPC family, our members have continued to face enormous challenges and the EPC offers thoughtful leadership and representation to ensure we can best support our members in meeting...
A focus on...Blogs
We keep you informed about the latest policy changes, news and events through regular email Bulletins, our website and guest blogs, as well as through access to the exclusive members'...
A focus on...Networking
EPC Online is more than just a our website; it’s a complete overhaul in the way that we communicate with members, upon which many of the key elements on the...
A focus on...Events
Our extensive events programme saw many hundreds of our members access a plethora of free online webcasts and jam-packed in-person events. Click on each of the tabs below to see...
A focus on...Campaigns
Many of our initiatives combine all of our workstreams, informing and supporting our members while also providing a springboard for networking events and guiding our representations to decision makers on...
A focus on...Consultations
The need for EPC to represent the views of the entire engineering community within HE has never been more crucial. One way we do this is through consultation responses to...
OfS consultation on inclusion of Higher Technical Qualifications in student outcome measures
The EPC response to this consultation can be found here. The Office for Students (OfS) is consulting on the introduction of a separate “split indicator” for higher technical qualifications (HTQs)...
Siemens blog: Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network supporting the development of new Sustainability Toolkit
Earlier this month, we provided updates on our Sustainability Toolkit at The Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network Global Online Gathering. A blog post about the event has been published by...
Hammermen David K. Harrison Award - Congratulations to winner Charlie Wilson
The EPC has announced the winner of the 2023 Hammermen Student Prize
Research Excellence Framework 2028
In June 2023, the four UK higher education funding bodies published key decisions on the high-level design of the next research assessment exercise. The EPC's Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer...
DfE call for evidence on Generative AI in education
The EPC response to this consultation can be found here. The Department for Education (DfE) published a position on generative AI in education in March and have now issued a...
Spotlight on ethics: Business growth models in engineering industries within an economic system
We have provided an expansion in the form of a Case enhancement: defending a profit-driven business versus a non-profit-driven business.
Imagine an engineer...
For engineering to focus on meeting future challenges, we will continue to need the traditional engineering scientists, but we will also need to expand our legions of design engineers to...
Innovation: New ideas and new people
On Monday 12th June 2023, the EPC was honoured that Prof Dame Athene Donald DBE, FRS HonFInstP delivered a public lecture as part of the Engineering Academics Network Annual Congress...
Guidance issued by the Engineering Council: University strikes and marking boycott
Industrial action affecting recognised programmes: interruption to recognised programme delivery and/or assessment. Guidance for professional engineering institutions, education providers, and awarding organisations. The Engineering Council and Professional Engineering Institutions (PEIs)...
Media release: Engineering Professors’ Council launches new educational resource
An online resource that helps educators to build ethics directly into their engineering teaching.
Enjoyed annual Congress this year? Bid now for the 2025 Congress to come to you.
Proposals are invited from higher education Engineering departments to host the Engineering Professors’ Council Annual Congress in 2025. The deadline for submissions is Monday, 31st October 2023.
Spotlight on ethics: Developing a school chatbot for student support services
Developing a school chatbot for student support services, addresses the ethical issues of bias, social responsibility, risk and privacy.
Help! I’m teaching Engineering Ethics for the first time!
Dr. Jude Bramton of the University of Bristol discusses her first-hand experience of using the Engineering Ethics Toolkit.
EPC consultations policy
The EPC will follow one of four pathways to prepare consultation responses: Full consultation Representative consultation Executive consultation No collective response The EPC Executive will decide which pathway to use...
We want you! Become an Ethics Ambassador
Join our new Ethics Ambassadors community!
How to get more from your EPC membership
Every EPC member has their very own My EPC page, which can be customised for better benefits. Please take two minutes to go to My EPC and update your profile.
Spotlight on ethics: Embedding equity, diversity and inclusion into a professional engineer’s lifestyle
"There is a great need to advocate for fellow engineers providing places to belong and empowering them to thrive in their chosen profession and career pathways. This includes people who...
Add your experience to EPC's fun snap survey ahead of our New models showcase in June
With the event in the engineering academic calendar fewer than three weeks away, we are keen to gauge the network’s temperature around New models, this year’s EAN Congress theme. The...
Four Hereford hotspots you’ll want to visit at EAN Congress in under four weeks' time
New kid on the block NMITE welcomes us to Hereford for Congress 2023: New models. We introduce four of Hereford’s best venues, on offer to all EAN members during Congress....
Five panels you can't afford to miss at EAN Congress in under five weeks
The Engineering Academics Network Annual Congress is the flagship event of the EPC each year and in 2023, our theme is 'New Models’. We will be exploring some of the...