Springs and things
10 February 2010
On the agenda this week is the show in the South and some interesting responses to last weeks column on higher education.
By show in the South I do of course mean Southern Electronics, which runs today and tomorrow (10 and 11 February) in Farnborough, Hampshire. While still a small show (by international standards) this bustling exhibition has proved increasingly popular for both visitors and exhibitors. When I visit today I am hoping and expecting to find that trend continuing.
I think the reason for the success of Southern Electronics (part of the broader Southern Manufacturing) is that within its (canvas) walls you will be likely to find a company that is relevant to what you are doing. Its broad reach means that it covers many of the products and services that would normally not find a home at a more vertical electronics show. The days of the electronics designer being protected from the harsh commercial realities of the outside world are long since gone. The successful designer has a role in specifying components that are commercially viable and available, whether this is an electronic component, or a spring, or enclosure, plastic windows, or any of the other multitude of components that go into the final product. There is a good chance that most of these components will be on display somewhere at Southern Manufacturing. If you can afford the time this week then I think it is well worth the visit.
Your comments on what we write about in our weekly news updates are always welcome, and the subject of education, raised last week in Cuts could put universities back on the right path, quite rightly gets passions raised.
Thank you for all those who wrote in and I include the comments from two of them. Firstly from Bob Willis of Xantix Systems, who wrote: “What a pleasant change to read some sense talked about universities! The comment about keeping children entertained for three years (and also off the unemployment register) is spot on. I would disagree with your statement "The people who create are designers and engineers and they need technical training to degree level", though. The small company I work for is successful in its field and all the designers (software, hardware and mechanical) were educated in technical colleges. Speaking as one of them, I wasn't considered bright enough to go to university but have had a long career doing electronic and mechanical design.”
This is obviously a fair point. Not everyone, in any walk of life, always receives the training that their talent deserves and yet many still rise to fill their potential. However, as a general rule, if we can match the right education with the students exhibiting potential in certain fields we are more likely to keep them in the industry (and I am thinking of this from an engineering perspective), they are more likely to be up to speed technically quicker, and they are more likely to be up on the latest technology and therefore play a role in moving the industry forward as a whole.
A view from inside the world of higher education came from Professor L.A. Dissado, who believes that all parties need to pull their socks up: “You are quite right that we (as a country) have not decided what universities are for, and it is time that we did decide this. As you say, a focus on STEM subjects is essential, but not so that they do industry's R&D for them, but rather to produce graduates that will function in R & D (and not see Banking as a more lucrative life - I am reminded that the Chairman of RBS was an industrial chemical engineer who has an FRS). For this there has to be jobs for the graduates, so industry has to get off its financial backside as well. This focus will not be achieved by across the board cuts, as found by Margaret Thatcher, when departments of three or four staff were kept, while larger STEM departments were cut. This means cutting places for 'media studies', 'sociology' etc. Unfortunately, universities as businesses like these departments because they are cheap to run. So focus means targeted support. Will a government do this? Probably not because it requires effort and understanding.”
Comments are always welcome and will be published when appropriate. Send your thoughts to tim.fryer@imlgroup.co.uk.
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