Vacuum inventor warns against 'the glamor of web design and video gaming,' wants more engineers

Sir James Dyson, inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner that bears his name, is worried that "the glamor of web fads and video gaming" is sapping the U.K.'s engineering talent, according to an interview with Radio Times magazine quoted by BBC News.

Dyson's fear is that the allure of careers in video game development creates a dearth of "tangible technology" because it creates a shortage of engineering graduates. Dyson estimates a deficit of 60,000 engineering graduates this year.

"I am heartened that the government has shown a willingness to make the U.K. a high technology exporter," Dyson said, according to the U.K. Telegraph. "But I am concerned that we are sometimes distracted by the glamor of web fads and video gaming rather than the development of tangible technology that we can export."

"Our future technology depends on nurturing bright minds to develop technology for export, but there is a shortage of engineers in the U.K."

Dyson's prescription for the problem he perceives is for the U.K. government to offer incentives to prospective students, in part with higher salaries.

"Our future technology depends on nurturing bright minds to develop technology for export, but there is a shortage of engineers in the U.K.," he told Sky News. "To help businesses the government needs to encourage more students into engineering subjects."

In early December, the U.K. government announced plans for a 25 percent tax break for the "video games, animation and high-end television industries." Those eligible for the tax breaks must pass a "cultural test," which awards points based on criteria like the number of British characters in the work and whether it tells a story relating to the country. The tax relief program is expected to take effect in April 2013.