News

We are proud to announce that GBE’s own Electronic Design Engineer, Alex Croucher, has been celebrated by Electronics Weekly’s BrightSparks 2017 programme in recognition of his achievements as a young engineer in the electronics industry. Alex has been a part of the GBE design team since 2013 and has been involved in a wide variety of development projects, demonstrating both his ability and drive as a professional Electronic Design Engineer. In May 2017, Alex was invited to the Houses of Parliament to receive his award, along with 28 other talented young engineers. The honorees met representatives from Electronics Weekly and RS Components over lunch hosted by the magazine’s publisher Josh Brooks, and Lindsley Ruth, CEO of RS. Electronics Weekly BrightSparks is a programme dedicated to finding, and celebrating the achievements of, the most talented young engineers in the UK. Electronics Weekly and RS Components believe that by celebrating the achievements of these young people, they can play a significant role in inspiring and encouraging new entrants to the industry. This is particularly important in the context of the industry’s well-publicised skills gap and the efforts of the UK government and other organisations to encourage greater take-up in schools and universities of STEM and engineering-related subjects. General judging comments from Lindsley Ruth, CEO of RS Components and EW BrightSparks judge: “Promoting engineering as a career to young people is something that is very close to my heart. We currently face a shortage of skilled engineers entering the industry and that worries me. This, combined with an environment where more of our lives are automated, connected and supported by electronics, is increasing the demand and requirement for engineering expertise. There is a huge opportunity for youngsters who consider engineering as a career path; an opportunity that enables them to contribute to the economy and to make people’s lives better, more efficient and more entertaining.” “I don’t think engineering is viewed by school pupils as being very exciting; the impression is that it’s all maths and physics. Of course, these are essential subjects that engineers must understand but engineering is about so much more than that; it’s about problem-solving, design, creativity and the ability to think outside the box. Engineering is also about understanding the environment in which a product, device or application is going to be used and who is going to be using it.”