Energy company E.ON is to launch a state-of-the-art web resource designed to attract the UK's engineers of the future.

Called plugin2engineering, the system is designed to encourage schoolchildren to become tomorrow's engineers as the country looks for the new talent that can build and maintain the power stations, overhead wires and underground cables that will keep the country's lights on for a generation.

The resource has been specially designed for children aged between 11 and 16, and it also offers strong links with the Key Stage 3 curriculum, GCSE Science and the new Engineering Diploma.

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Dr Paul Golby, Chief Executive of E.ON in the UK, said: "Investment in both new energy assets and in the next generation of engineers is vital if we are to ensure security of supply in the UK for decades to come.

"As a company, we expect to spend £1bn a year on ensuring security of supply whilst also reducing our carbon emissions and keeping energy as affordable as possible for our customers. Without the necessary skills base going forward, we know that we will inevitably face huge problems in achieving this.

"By providing exciting learning opportunities for young people, and by equipping them with the skills that employers need, our aim is to bridge the skills shortage in ways which capture their imagination and bring engineering to life.

"The plugin2engineering programme is the latest step in our commitment to the development and support of young people and it is our hope that schools and individuals across the UK will benefit for years to come."

The development of the programme, is a proactive step by E.ON in addressing wider industry estimates that, by 2014, the electricity distribution industry alone will need to attract and train more than 9,000 new workers.

(CD/JM)