Changing perceptions of engineering Member News July 2019 20 “ My engineering career has left me with many stories to tell” David Lindsley knows that sharing stories, anecdotes and experiences are powerful ways to help people understand engineering. That’s why since leaving a senior role in the power plant control industry, he’s seized opportunities – at the IET and elsewhere – to “spread the word about the profession”. David is aware that engineering has an image problem. “I’ve always been concerned about the inaccurate image that engineers have in society,” he says. “We’ve got this attitude in the UK that professional engineers are what I’d call mechanics, but they’re more than that. The public needs to understand this, if engineers are to win respect and the industry encourage more people to join it.” David Lindsley FIET The inspiration So what’s behind David’s desire to promote engineering? He says it’s his own career. David started out at Kingston Technical College, studying for an HND in electrical engineering. “In addition to studying subjects such as advanced maths, physics and thermodynamics, I was taught how to weld, operate lathes and mills, do all sorts of wonderful things,” he says. “During the final year, I went to the local power station, worked there for three months and fell in love with the industry.” David went on to Bailey Meters and Controls, a subsidiary of Babcock International, which designed, manufactured, installed and commissioned control and instrumentation systems for a wide variety of applications including power stations. Joining as an Application Engineer, David rose through the ranks to International Project Director. After a further 20 years of running his own consultancy business, David retired. His eyesight is now failing, but even this has become part of the conundrum of how best to promote engineering (and who to). Reaching more people Having made a success of the network, David took a step back and started thinking of other ways he could promote the profession. “I knew that when they started Blue Watch, the television series about the fire brigade, recruitment to that service shot up. I thought that’s what the engineering profession needs – a role model,” he says. This idea prompted him to write his first novel, with a professional engineer as the hero. The character, Dan Foster, a forensic engineer who investigates serious accidents, caught David’s imagination and he went on to write two more books. The first Far Point, (available from Amazon) has just been republished as an audiobook, bringing the story to the ears of commuters, bikers and joggers. It’s got me thinking about recommending engineering to people with visual impairments,” he says. “It’s a fantastic career – everyone should have an opportunity to step in and take their part in it.” Would you like to get involved in promoting the profession? Take a look at our volunteering opportunities at theiet.org/get-involved Finding a platform During his time as an IET member, David has come to see membership as a platform for addressing engineering’s image problem. In the early 90s, he helped set up the Kingston/Teddington group, part of the IET London Local Network. The aim was to spread the word about engineering and put local engineers at the heart of this activity. “We organised various talks, which focused on engineers and the projects they were involved in, from the operation of the London Underground to avionics,” David says.