b'4 Member News July 2023IET headlinesWeve been hitting the headlines over the last few months with coverage on IET initiatives, events and sharing expertise.At the time of the last Member News print issue,In March and April, we worked we had just announced the winner of our Backpackwith regional media to profile to the Future competitionwhich tasked childrenthe winners of our FIRST LEGO League Ireland competition and Engineering and with designing a futuristic backpack that could dotechnology skills inFIRST LEGO League Great incredible things, thanks to engineering and techthe Sultanate of Oman Britain competition respectively. gadgets. Our winner, Eleanor Wood, won with herCoverage included Business Island, Offaly Express, The NWE Breathe Better Backpack. Mail, BBC Radio Berkshire and Harrogate Advertiser.perception of the industry and making it a desirable andSpokespeople from the IET attainable career choice. Take aalso featured in national media look at page 8 for informationA 2023 survey commenting on ChatGPT and on this years campaign.Data provided by: In partnership with: safeguarding the metaverse.theiet.org/OmanSkills Professor Peter Bannister was In February, in a freshquoted in The Sun, when experts review of skills withinincludes a drive towardsclaimed the AI chatbot could engineering andworld-class innovation andhelp students pass an exam technology in the UK,engineering expertise as itto qualify as a doctor. Peter we released the fulllooks to move away fromexplained tests in place to findings of our digital skillsoil dependence. The reportcheck the capability of this tech survey. With the surveyuncovered the skills gapneed to be all encompassing of highlighting many skillscurrently facing the Omanireal-life medical scenarios, such Backpack to the Future winner Eleanor Wood gaps resulting in vastlyengineering industry, as wellas providing comprehensive, reduced productivity,as the skills prospects for thein-person clinical care to The announcement receivedinnovation and growth, wenext decade that will be vitalpatients from a wide range of widespread media coveragecalled for government toin maximising the countryspopulations. Catherine Allen,even making internationallook at ways to prioritiseengineering potential andthe IETs immersive technology mediawith over 300 mediaunspent funding to meetdiversifying the economy.advisor, was quoted in The Times outlets covering the story. Fromdemand for the future.Coverage included Muscatand other national outlets, calling the likes of BBC News Online,The survey receivedDaily, Economy Middle East,for more safeguarding and Sky News Online, Mail Online,coverage in over twentyThe Arabian Stories, HReducation to tackle unregulated Independent, The Daily Mirror,trade outlets, includingWorld, The Business Breakfastinteractions currently taking The Times, to regional papersThe Manufacturer, Processon dubaieye 103.8. place in the metaverse.across the UK, Eleanor was alsoEngineering, PBC Today interviewed for ITV Yorkshire,and BIM Today.BBC Leeds and Take a Break.Backpack to the Future wasWe also released our Oman part of the IETs annual EngineerSkills Survey to Omani media a Better World campaign forin February, joining forces 2022. Each year, the campaignwith market researchers uses childrens passion pointsYouGov to interview as a window to the vast worldindividuals in Oman with of STEM and encourages theirmanagement responsibilities participation in engineeringin companies that employ related challengesall gearedengineers. Omans country towards changing theirvision over the next decade FIRST LEGO League Great Britiain winners, RealTechBots'