For many children of primary school age, an engineer is the man who comes to service the central heating system or who fixes the family car when it breaks down. Most have never met a "real" professional engineer, and have no idea of what is involved in the exciting world of engineering. Most assume that engineers are men. To try to remove these misconceptions from the minds of some primary school pupils in Northern Ireland, the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) developed Civil Engineering in Primary Schools (CEPS). This programme is designed to make upper primary pupils aware of civil engineering, within the context of the revised Northern Ireland key stage 2 (age 7-11) curriculum area "The World Around Us," which includes history, geography, science and technology. CEPS aims to interest and motivate upper primary school pupils in civil engineering and its role in wider sustainable development issues, and to increase their knowledge and understanding of engineering principles. Engineers are recruited from local construction and engineering companies by the Northern Ireland region of the ICE to take part in the project. Participation is regarded by their employers and the Institution as effective continuing professional development. In this article, the authors share the benefits of bringing civil engineers into the primary classroom.