<p>*…General Electric’s (GE) UK boss, Mark Elborne, has a real beef with this country about engineers’ lack of status. A voracious reader of Lee Childs’ thrillers and a father of five, 54-year-old Mr Elborne strongly believes that engineers get nowhere near the respect they deserve from politicians, businessmen, students and the public at large.</p>
<p>Seen as nerdy, when they should be regarded as cool, the low regard for engineers working in everything from mechanics to software puts the UK at risk of a “brain drain” which threatens to derail Britain’s bid to manufacture its way to long-term prosperity, he says.</p>
<p>…the “most essential ingredient” to boosting the number of engineers was to foster “a positive societal attitude towards the benefits and value of technology”…*</p>
<p>[Mark</a> Elborne: For engineers, it’s a question of respect - Profiles - People - The Independent](<a href=“Mark Elborne: For engineers, it's a question of respect | The Independent | The Independent”>Mark Elborne: For engineers, it's a question of respect | The Independent | The Independent)</p>