When 17-year-old Mia scrolled through career options online, engineering didn’t even make the list. “It just didn’t seem like something for me,” she said. “All I could picture was people in hard hats on construction sites.”
She’s not alone. New research shows outdated stereotypes and a lack of understanding about what engineering actually involves are discouraging young Australians from considering a field that’s critical to shaping our future. Despite its importance, engineering ranks fourth in student career interests—behind medicine, health sciences, and business—according to the Decoding the Career Path of Today’s Young People report.
“Engineering is one of the most diverse and impactful careers out there, but the perception just hasn’t caught up,” says Bernadette Foley, Group Executive of Professional Standards and Engineering Practice at Engineers Australia. “Young people often don’t know what engineering actually is or how many paths there are into the profession.”
A separate survey by youth platform Year13 found that only 11% of students had a strong understanding of engineering. Even fewer—just 14%—said they were likely to pursue it as a career. That’s worrying news for a country that needs an estimated 60,000 more engineers by 2035.
To combat the disconnect, Engineers Australia has launched the Inspiring Future Engineers program—a national initiative aiming to reintroduce engineering to young Australians in a new light. Partnering with Year13, the campaign includes the Engineered for Impact Academy and Engineering Hub, using career tools, social media, and storytelling to highlight how engineers tackle real-world challenges, from climate change to medical tech.
“Engineering touches every part of life—space, tech, energy, health—and yet many students don’t see it,” says Foley. “We want to change that. It’s a career for creative thinkers who want to solve problems and make a difference.”
The campaign also aims to reach underrepresented groups. Just 16% of Australia’s professional engineers are women, and many young girls say they don’t see female role models in the field. Of the 871 teenage girls surveyed, only 8% said they were interested in engineering—largely due to a lack of visibility and understanding.
The challenge isn’t just attracting new talent—it’s keeping up with demand. The country relies heavily on skilled migration, with over 60% of engineers in Australia born overseas. And with up to 68,000 engineers expected to retire by 2036, the skills gap is growing fast.
Foley says there’s no one-size-fits-all pathway into engineering. “Some go through university, others take apprenticeships or vocational training. We need to show young people that there are many ways to become an engineer—and that there’s a place for them in this profession.”
For teens like Mia, who now plans to look more seriously into engineering after seeing stories of biomedical and environmental engineers on TikTok, the message is starting to get through.
“I didn’t know engineers worked on clean energy or prosthetic limbs,” she said. “That’s the kind of stuff I’d love to do.”
Quick Stats:
- 68,000 engineers could retire between 2021–2036
- Only 16% of professional engineers in Australia are women
- 60%+ of engineers in Australia were born overseas
- 74% of young Aussies want a future-focused job—but only 5% say they’d definitely consider engineering
Want to learn more or share the campaign? Check out the Engineered for Impact Academy and Hub via Year13 and Engineers Australia here.
