Gloomy prospects

I firmly agree with Andrew Porter (Letters 16 October) that engineers are undervalued in the UK.

I am due to graduate in June next year with a BEng in Mechanical and Marine Engineering. With 80 per cent of the UK's economy dedicated to the service industry, and only 20 per cent left for manufacturing, there appears to be a diminishing marketplace for engineers to ply their trade. And the government appears unconcerned at the prospect of graduates emigrating.

It seems that society may be doomed because when everything breaks and old designs falter there won't be anyone suffficiently skilled or knowledgeable to fix them. The government will then throw money around — after the horse has bolted.

I have two children, both with their own full size-toolkits, and I am forever encouraging them to design and build things. I also constantly reinforce the reasoning why school, college and university are important. Long term we should encourage all ages to be creative and have vision.

It's what made the UK great during the industrial revolution and we will be great again — but I am not waiting for government help.

There are those who are just all talk and then there are those that go and do. Which one are you? 

M Watson, Cheshire