The peak body representing engineers in Australia is urging this year's Year 12 cohort to consider putting Engineering at the top of their list when selecting university course preferences. Engineers Australia says the profession offers diverse career paths and the chance to make a real impact.

Melbourne

At the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility in Western Sydney, engineers are working on innovative solutions for various industries, aiming to change perceptions about the profession among young Australians. Recent research shows engineering is the fourth most popular degree choice among high school students, and the profession's peak body is encouraging more students to consider it as their top university preference.

Industry representatives and graduates emphasize the broad impact of engineering, from infrastructure to technology, and the need for diverse perspectives as the sector evolves. With the government being urged to increase the number of engineering graduates, a new online hub has been launched to showcase the realities and opportunities of an engineering career, aiming to inspire students ahead of university preference submissions.

Engineering push as university preference deadline looms

Here at the new Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility in Western Sydney, engineer James Stokes is busy finding innovative solutions to some of Australian industry's biggest challenges. From medical, aerospace, defence, agriculture, every day you have a new problem. Working with game changing technology and cutting edge machinery, James and his team of fellow engineering graduates are also on a mission to change what many young Australians think about engineering. I think kids think probably engineering is just about solving math equations or kind of something you can't tangibly see the result of. According to research by YouthSense, engineering is currently the fourth most popular degree among Australian high school students when selecting their university course preferences. Now the profession's peak body is encouraging this year's Year 12 cohort to consider putting engineering at the top of their list. The engineering programs set you up really, really well. Bernadette Foley is part of the Professional Standards and Engineering Practice Group at Engineers Australia. There are so many different opportunities for engineers, clean water, secure energy supply, affordable housing, space, doesn't really matter what you look at, there is engineering involved and you can have an impact. For civil engineering graduate Anjalia Jitprasad, the ability to make a positive impact to the community was a key reason behind her decision to study engineering. Roads, hospitals, the houses you live in, everything is someone's idea and that's an engineer who built it. And amid calls for the government to set a target of 60,000 additional engineering graduates over the next decade, Anjali says more than ever a diversity of ideas and perspectives are needed within the profession. In the next 10 or 15 years, everything is going to change. Even you can see the chat GPT, everyone uses it, it's AI. And who did that? It's an engineer. As hundreds of thousands of Year 12 students get set to submit their university preferences in the coming weeks, a new online hub has just been launched showcasing what an engineering career really looks like. It's very team oriented, collaborative, creative. You can work on projects in capital cities. You can work in projects in regional areas, overseas. It doesn't really matter where on earth engineering is actually required. And when it comes to advice for students currently considering their options. If you love to think out of the box, to do something interesting and do something good for the community, definitely engineering is a good profession. Through school, I always love kind of working my hands to solve problems. So I like kind of taking things apart, potentially breaking them and trying to put them back together. I kind of tried to find certain passages to actually do that day to day as a job. There are so many different types of engineering that you can do, regardless of which one you choose, it will set you up for a fantastic career.

Erik and Lyle Menendez remain behind bars, their hopes for release dashed by two separate parole boards more than three decades after murdering their parents. Elise Preston reports.

Los Angeles

Erik and Lyle Menendez denied parole

Tourism in Las Vegas is slumping this summer, costing the city billions. That could signal trouble ahead for the U.S. economy. Andres Gutierrez has new details.

Las Vegas

Las Vegas tourism slumps this summer, signaling trouble for U.S. economy

Texas Republicans took a victory lap after an early morning vote Saturday that sought to give their party an edge during the 2026 midterms. Democrats in Texas plan to challenge the legality of the new congressional map, saying it dilutes the power of minorities.

Austin

Texas Republicans take victory lap after redistricting vote

Israel has called the United Nations' declaration of famine in parts of Gaza an "outright lie," but multiple U.N. bodies, more than 100 humanitarian groups, and several of Israel's own allies have warned for months that the war is causing starvation among civilians.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

Middle East Conflict

Israel denies U.N.'s declaration of famine in parts of Gaza

U.S. President Donald Trump says he will impose sanctions on Russia if it fails to reach a peace deal in Ukraine within two weeks. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Russia’s ongoing attacks on his country show that President Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

Putin’s not interested in peace talks, Zelenskyy says

Lyle Menendez was denied parole late Friday night following a day-long hearing in California, just one day after his brother Erik's parole appeal was also rejected. The brothers have been in prison since 1996 for killing their parents in what they say was an act of self-defense.

Both Menendez brothers denied parole

At least five people are dead and dozens are injured after a tour bus traveling from Niagara Falls flipped over on the New York State Thruway near Pembroke, New York.

Pembroke

Western New York bus crash kills at least five people

Federal agents searched former Trump adviser-turned-critic John Bolton's home on Friday morning. President Donald Trump denied knowing about the investigation, which is related to his handling of classified documents.

Bethesda

FBI raids former Trump adviser John Bolton's home, office

The FBI searched former national security adviser John Bolton's house in Bethesda, Maryland, early Friday morning, the bureau confirmed to CBS News.

Washington

FBI raids former Trump adviser John Bolton's home, D.C. office

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland construction worker deported to El Salvador and then returned to the U.S. on smuggling charges, has been released from prison in Tennessee, his attorneys say.

Nashville

Kilmar Abrego Garcia released from jail in Tennessee

A bus with more than 50 people on board rolled over in New York and several deaths are being reported, officials confirm. CBS News' Jericka Duncan reports.

Tour bus crash in New York causes 'several fatalities'

Attorneys general in 14 states and Washington, D.C., accuse TikTok of designing its app to keep users hooked. Court-released edited video shows some company staff discussing the toll it can take on children and teens.

TikTok faces lawsuits over mental health risks

A parole board rejected Erik Menendez's request for release, saying he has not shown proper remorse for killing his parents 36 years ago. His brother, Lyle Menendez, faces his own hearing today (August 22).

Erik Menendez denied parole after California hearing

Russia carried out one of its largest aerial attacks of the year on Ukraine. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 15, marking Russia’s third-largest drone attack and eighth-largest missile assault this year.

Russia launches largest strike in weeks on Ukraine

The U.S. is sending three warships to the waters of Venezuela as part of a major counter-narcotics operation, a White House official confirms. CBS News senior national security correspondent Charlie D'Agata reports.

U.S. warships head to Venezuela to combat drug cartel threats

An eyewitness says American subcontractors at Gaza Humanitarian Foundation sites shot at Palestinians, a claim GHF denies.

Eyewitness claims U.S. subcontractors fired at Palestinians in Gaza

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a bill that will allow voters to decide on new congressional maps in November.

California

Newsom signs bill putting new California congressional maps on ballot

A New York appellate court threw out a $527 million penalty in the civil fraud case against President Trump and several others. CBS News' Aaron Navarro reports.

New York

Trump civil fraud case $527 million penalty thrown out

The U.S. and the European Union have locked in a framework trade deal that includes a 15% U.S. tariff on most EU imports, including autos, pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber.

Global Tariffs

U.S. and EU lock in trade deal

Israel says it began its military operation to take control of Gaza City. This comes after an apparent Hamas attack in Khan Younis targeting Israeli soldiers.

Jerusalem

Israel says it began Gaza City expansion

After weeks of pushback from Democrats, House Republicans in Texas have passed controversial legislation to redraw the state's congressional map, giving the GOP an advantage in multiple seats.

Texas House passes controversial GOP redistricting map

U.S. President Donald Trump’s top-down diplomacy has experts in Ukraine skeptical about whether there has been enough preparation for proposed talks to actually end the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow

Russia signals more talks needed before Zelenskyy-Putin meeting

The Texas House on Wednesday night passed a controversial, Republican-backed proposal to redraw the state's congressional maps. The bill now moves onto the Texas Senate. CBS News reporter Erica Brown has more.

Texas

Texas House approves GOP congressional redistricting map

Israel's military has called up tens of thousands of reservists in preparation for an expected assault on Gaza City, as the Israeli government considered a new proposal for a ceasefire after nearly two years of war.

Israel calls up 60,000 reservists ahead of Gaza City operation

The Trump administration says it is adding 407 items to the list of "derivative" steel and aluminum products subject to higher tariffs. The list includes products like car parts, household appliances, baby strollers, fire extinguishers and spray deodorants.

Trump expanding steel and aluminum tariffs

NATO military chiefs met virtually Wednesday for what was described as a candid discussion about security guarantees the alliance would be willing to provide to Ukraine in an effort to end Russia's war in the region.

Brussels

NATO chiefs meet virtually about potential Ukraine security guarantees

Israel's military leaders approved the next phase of their ongoing offensive in the territory. The operation will shift focus to Gaza City, targeting areas where Hamas is believed to still be active and where Israeli forces have not yet operated.

Israel approves next phase of Gaza offensive, focus on Gaza City

Despite not making landfall, Hurricane Erin is forcing mandatory evacuation orders in parts of North Carolina and is expected to cause rip currents for days along the U.S. East Coast.

North Carolina

Hurricane Erin forces evacuations on U.S. East Coast

The White House says it is working to secure a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, which both have agreed to, while plans continue to create security guarantees for Ukraine.

Breakdown