“We turned away because that was what we had been taught…yet on one of those days, someone did turn…and then another turned. And another. And another.”
As Heriot-Watt University student, Mira Sivaprasad, read these words from Christine Fry’s evocative poem, ‘The Great Turning’, a feeling of acknowledgement and encouragement was felt around the room at our latest Systems Change Lab event in Bristol. The poem’s message – the power of people coming together to create change – set the tone for a day rooted in collective reflection and purposeful collaboration.
Over the last two months, participants in the 2025 iteration of the Systems Change Lab have been engaging in discussions and exercises asking: What are the key issues we see in the education and practice of engineering? What can we do to make the sector more globally responsible? How do we mobilise this group of changemakers for the (at times, daunting) task?
On Tuesday 20 May 2025, changemakers gathered at the infamous creative technology hub, the Watershed in Bristol, to enter into the second phase of the Lab journey – the define phase. After discovering the landscape of engineering and the issues we face back in March in London, the focus in Bristol was on systems thinking and peeling back the layers of why those issues exist.
The agenda revolved around three key points:
1. Understanding the Task & Finish Group topics
In the morning, participants engaged in a conversation-based marketplace exercise, learning of the four main Task & Finish Groups, our smaller, more focused groups that will meet in parallel to the Lab, working towards focused, tangible outputs. There will be four different groups running simultaneously:
- Policy and standards
- Roles and values
- Stories of change
- Education and upskilling
During the exercise, Group Leads were given pointers and reflections on the directions their groups should take, as well as potential barriers and enablers to be aware of.
If you would like to join a group, please sign up here!
2. Encouraging deeper systems thinking
The afternoon session built upon key outputs from the Launch event. Many of the issues in engineering that were identified at the Launch are best understood as symptoms of more deep-rooted patterns, structures and mental models. Participants spent time reflecting on what those deeper layers might be in the context of the four Task & Finish Group topic areas using the iceberg model, and used insights to guide their thinking around the key objectives for each group.
“A clear path to change has emerged.”
– Participant at the Lab
3. Defining who the Lab is
Finally, Professor Sarah Hitt led us through a reflective exercise on who the Lab is. Who is part of this community? What are the individual and unique strengths that lie therein? How can they be harnessed to drive systems change across engineering? Participants created their own fictional Lab participant, reflecting on what drives them, challenges and moves them. One participant noted:
“Our group picked a person who is at the same point in their career as me, and it was really interesting to see what parts of my experience and that of my peers the older participants were aware of, and also where they had blindspots.”
What’s next?
The next part of the journey will take place online on Thursday 12 June from 10am to 12pm. In this short but packed session, we will be presenting some of the key outputs from Bristol, and reflecting on the problem statements that will have been developed for the Task & Finish Groups as a result. This session has been designed for those who are part of or interested in joining a Task & Finish Group. Register for free here.
And for our next in-person event, we’ll be heading to Glasgow on Thursday 3 July. This event is open to everyone. Secure your free place by registering here.
See the full roadmap for the 2025 Lab below.
Be part of the change
While many organisations are grappling with the issues facing engineering behind closed doors, the Lab offers something different: a shared, open space to work through complexity together – across the sector, disciplines and generations.
Whether you’re an educator, student, practitioner, or policymaker, your voice matters in shaping the future of engineering. If you’re passionate about building a better engineering system, we would love for you to a be part of the change.
Register here to be kept in the loop with upcoming events, developments and outcomes from the Lab. For questions, visit our FAQs page or reach out to [email protected].
