We’re happy to celebrate National Engineering Day in the UK with our friends at the Royal Academy of Engineering. Today they launch the AI-Z of Engineering, an online collection showcasing more than 100 current engineering jobs, and over 100 more engineering jobs envisaged for the future. Their aim is to inspire more young people to pursue engineering careers in areas ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to medicine, software engineering, space, and sustainability.

Engineers shape the technologies and industries that define the future — and the systems they build affect jobs and tasks in every sector. As Sir John Lazar, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and our Chair of Trustees, says about AI technology:

“I’m not a believer that all jobs will just disappear because of AI. If you think of a job as an assemblage of tasks, there’s no question that the tasks in your job will change because AI will work with you on a bunch of things, and this will in turn reshape your job or role.  The people who will thrive through this transformation will be those who engage with curiosity, intellectual rigour, scepticism, creativity, problem-solving and teamwork – and these are the skills and attitudes that are taught by engineering and computational thinking.”

Sir John Lazar, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Chair of Trustees, Raspberry Pi Foundation.

Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI

At the Raspberry Pi Foundation, we believe AI literacy is crucial for all young people. We also believe all young people need to learn to code to be able to shape our future, where AI systems are integrated into all aspects of life. Our position paper “Why kids still need to learn to code in the age of AI” presents five reasons why:

1. Even though AI tools can be used to generate code, we still need skilled human programmers to critically review that code.
2. Learning to code remains the most effective way to become a skilled human programmer, and allows better understanding of how computers work and what their potential and constraints are.
3. Learning to code will open up more economic opportunities, as advances in technology let us solve a wider range of problems using computers.
4. Coding is a literacy that gives young people agency and a new way to express themselves, to learn, and to make sense of the world. 
5. Young people who learn to code now will shape the future, and we need that power to sit with young people from all backgrounds so they can design systems that serve everyone.

Our free resources for young people help them learn to code and get creative with technology to bring their ideas into the world, building their confidence. So whether your kids are just starting their coding journey, or are looking for a new challenge, you can use our resources to support them.

Understanding coding and computers is critical in many engineering roles, so inspiring kids about engineering can also motivate them to try their hand at coding.

How you can get involved with National Engineering Day

There are plenty of ways you can celebrate National Engineering Day. Inspire young people to embark on careers in engineering by sharing the AI-Z of Engineering collection with your school or college, on social media, or on your organisation’s website. The collection is a living resource that will be updated, and contributions are always welcome — both for current jobs and future ones.To find out more ways to get involved with National Engineering Day, you can go download the toolkit.