Neglected engineers

SIR – Peter Wedderburn-ogilvy (Letters, September 19) identifies three main reasons for the shortage of engineers and scientists in Britain.

Three more can be added. First, successive governments have allowed cheap imports, resulting in the destruction of much of our manufacturing base.

Secondly, the pay of engineers and scientists is poor compared to other, less intellectually rigorous occupations.

Finally, soft careers and the arts receive a lot of coverage in the media, and are perceived by many to be more attractive and better-paid than anything based on a hard science.

Ironically, our 21st-century lifestyle is totally dependent on the sciences and engineering. Bill Parish

Bromley, Kent