Civil Engineering into the 21st Century

This paper considers the supply and demand for graduates in civil engineering. It is written from the British viewpoint for statistics and trends facing Britain and Europe. The writer, however, has worked for a number of years in the United States, and the points made in the paper are equally valid in that country. The supply of young men and women of an appropriate age will fall until the turn of the century. This trend is coincident with a disillusionment in engineering and technology. The paper considers these problems and offers suggestions on how to make the profession attractive, and at the same time the paper considers future concerns of the civil engineer in relation to third world countries.