Engineers Without Borders UK celebrates 20th anniversary

The charity has launched a 12-month educational campaign, exploring the essential knowledge, skills, and mindsets needed to practise engineering globally. This initiative was unveiled during a celebratory event at its offices in Oval, London on Tuesday, 23 April.

The event featured discussions from influential industry thought leaders on what it means to advocate in engineering. Panellists included Georgia Elliott-Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Element Four, Verel Rodrigues, Campaigns Manager at Ecotricity, and Yewande Akinola, VP of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

John Kraus, CEO of Engineers Without Borders UK, commented on reaching this milestone: "Over 20 years, we have inspired tens of thousands of people to place global responsibility at the heart of engineering practice. Our programmes have demonstrated what can be achieved, and we remain as determined as ever to ensure that engineering plays the fullest possible role in meeting the needs of people and planet."

The campaign, running from April 2024 to March 2025, focuses on one competency per month from their Global Responsibility Competency Compass. The competencies cover essential knowledge, skills, and mindsets, such as technology stewardship, creative collaboration, and social and ecological wellbeing. Each month, Engineers Without Borders UK will deliver thought leadership content, including events, videos, and written pieces, that delve into the topics related to each competency. The aim is to help engineering practices and educators integrate a globally responsible approach into their training and to encourage more businesses and individuals to participate in Engineers Without Borders initiatives.

Engineers Without Borders UK has made significant progress in reshaping the engineering mindset since its inception 20 years ago. It has grown in stature and influence and today offers various strategic partnering, sponsorship, and educational initiatives for business and academia. Among its achievements are the Engineering for People Design Challenge, which to date has helped more than 70,000 undergraduate students worldwide understand their impact as engineers on both people and the planet.

Another milestone in the charity's work to transform engineering education is the Reimagined Degree Map. This provides an interactive guide for engineering departments, which supports them in navigating the decisions that are urgently required to prepare students for 21st-century challenges.

The Global Responsibility Competency Compass, on which the current campaign is based, was developed with the support of the Royal Academy of Engineering and is endorsed by the Engineering Council. It offers individuals, teams, and companies a clear pathway to identify strengths and any gaps in the skills needed to ensure projects deliver sustainable, equitable, and ethical results, and provides access to practical learning resources.

The need to reduce climate change and our impacts on the natural world while delivering equitable access to vital resources is driving Engineers Without Borders UK to be more ambitious than ever in effecting positive change.

John concludes: "We continue to grow in size, reach, impact, and ambition. Our focus now is on reaching the tipping point where global responsibility becomes integral to the way all engineering is taught and practised."

This campaign may draw upon the lessons learned by Engineering Without Borders UK over the last 20 years, but it is firmly focused on addressing the issues that the planet and society face today.