Wisbech engineer turned teacher at College of West Anglia is helping to shape the future of the industry

An engineer turned further education teacher hopes to inspire others to swap careers and help train the next generation of local talent.

Darren Freeman, a teacher at the College of West Anglia’s Wisbech campus, has explained why he decided to pivot his career as part of World Engineering Day – the global celebration of how engineers, technicians, and technologists make a difference.

According to the Global Engineer survey more than half the industry’s professionals (54%) fear a short of engineers in the future.

At the same time, Engineering UK has detected a growing demand for sector expects, predicting 173,000 new jobs by 2030.

Darren believes FE teaching could be one of the solutions to help prepare a pipeline of talent for the sector.

He is encouraging fellow engineers to share their real-world industry experience with the next generation of talent via teaching. Engineering professionals could work full-time or part-time alongside their current jobs and change lives without changing their careers.

Darren said: “I never realised how valuable my real-world industry experience would be in inspiring the next generation of engineers until I pivoted my career to teaching in further education.

“After 33 years in the engineering sector, I accumulated a wealth of real-life experiences that I can now incorporate into my teaching, bringing the subject to life for my students.

“Transitioning to an FE role has been the most rewarding decision of my career, and I have no regrets.

“Each day, I wake up energised and eager to witness my students' growth. I found that my students appreciate the industry experience I can share with them.

“During my time in the sector, I worked for small businesses, large companies, and even had the opportunity to work overseas. My breadth of experience leaves me well equipped to offer advice and support my students as they prepare for their first engineering jobs.

“I encourage other professionals to consider FE teaching and support the next generation entering the industry. We all remember how daunting it might have felt at first. Don’t underestimate the value of your industry experience. By sharing your knowledge, you can help pave the way for others to step into the engineering industry."