Jo Hollingdale
Senior Careers Inspiration Manager
Jo is passionate about helping young people discover exciting futures in engineering and technology. With a strong background in careers education and inclusion, she’s led national programmes that open doors and break down barriers. At EngineeringUK, Jo brings people together educators, employers, and partners to co-create inclusive, engaging careers resources that spark curiosity and confidence in the next generation. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to equity, collaboration, and making a real difference.
What does the future look like to your students?
This November, Tomorrow's Engineers Week will help young people understand how engineering and technology shape our future. And how your students can help create a future they want to see for themselves and for all of us.
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week is all about connecting engineering and technology to the things young people care about most.
It's a simple idea, but a powerful one. When I speak to teachers, careers leaders, employers and young people, one message comes through clearly: young people want to make a difference. They care deeply about the future, their future, their communities and the world around them. At the same time, many don't realise that engineering and technology are among the most powerful tools we have for creating positive change. From developing cleaner energy and designing smarter cities to advancing healthcare and transport, engineers and technicians shape the future every day. They are tackling some of society's biggest challenges, creating solutions that improve lives. It’s also one of the fastest-growing sectors in the UK, creating a wealth of job opportunities. And one where young people, whatever their backgrounds or learning styles, can find rewarding careers. This is why we've chosen Shape our future as the theme for this year’s Tomorrow's Engineers Week.
Our future needs many perspectives
For many young people, the future can feel like something that happens somewhere else, done by someone else. We want to change that. Shape our future is about helping young people recognise that the future isn't something that simply happens to them. It's something they can influence, contribute to and create. Whether they're interested in protecting the environment, improving health, exploring space, creating new technologies or supporting local communities, engineering and technology provide endless possibilities. They offer opportunities to turn ideas into action that impact the world. This year’s theme invites young people to not only think about the future they want to see but the role they could play in making it happen.
The challenges we face as a society are complex and interconnected. Solving them will require creativity, collaboration and a wide range of skills, experiences and perspectives. That's why Tomorrow's Engineers Week celebrates the fact that engineering and technology are for everyone. There is no single type of engineer or technician. The sector needs problem solvers, communicators, designers, innovators, data specialists, creative thinkers and team players from every background. By showcasing diverse role models and real-world stories, we hope to help even more young people see a place for themselves in shaping our future.
Building optimism for the future
At its heart, Shape our future is about building optimism about all our futures. It's about helping young people see opportunities rather than barriers. It's about connecting their passions with real-world careers. We want to show your students that engineering and technology are not just subjects or sectors, but powerful ways to create the future they want to see.
When young people can see how their values, interests and ambitions connect to engineering and technology, they're much more likely to believe that they belong in those futures too. And that is exactly the conversation we want Tomorrow's Engineers Week to start.
What's available for schools?
Tomorrow’s Engineers Week runs from 9 to 13 of November this year. Right now, we're busy developing a range of interactive activities and resources to bring the theme to life in schools. We’ll be releasing these activities in September.
You can expect:
- inspiring encounters with real engineers and technicians
- practical activities that help students think like engineers
- engaging classroom resources that help students see themselves in the future
- stories that demonstrate how STEM is shaping the future in different ways
This year's theme is an invitation for young people to imagine the future they want to see. An invitation for educators, employers and volunteers to share how engineering and technology make a difference. It’s also an invitation for all of us to help young people recognise that they have the potential to shape our future too.
We can't wait to share more over the coming months so start your journey and sign up!
