Design of the "Global Engineering Study"
Continental AG in conjunction with eight international renowned universities launched the Global Engineering Excellence initiative. This unique collaboration will study the influence and importance of technological expertise and education on the competitiveness of nations, people, and companies. At the heart of this initiative is a comprehensive study designed to reflect a broad spectrum of topics dealing with all aspects of engineering and natural sciences. The study will cover the following research areas:
- Competitiveness and technology.
- Career paths of graduates in scientific and engineering disciplines.
- How first-rate engineering and science education are designed and implemented.
- The development of future trends in these fields.
- How a successful interchange of knowledge can be promoted between universities and companies.
TU Darmstadt vice president Prof. Dr.-Ing. Reiner Anderl pointed out the core questions of the study: "We want to identify, for example, success factors for the development of engineers based on an international comparison. Do they differ? Is there such a thing as the engineer? How are graduates of technical sciences looked upon? Is there a “critical mass” of technical scientists needed for competitive economies? How many patents are there and what is the patent focus in different countries? How and where does cooperation between science, industry and business take place and what are the formulas for its success? We also want to examine product development cycles to look for trends within the various engineering disciplines and identify which are taking the lead."
The first global engineering study was published by the initiative for Global Engineering Excellence in autumn 2006.
For more in-depth information on the GEE Study, please visit http://www.global-engineering-excellence.org/.
Study Results
The Road to Championship: Four Recommendations and a Call for Action
Global competence needs to become a key qualification of engineering graduates.
- Global preparation must move beyond "add-on" programs; knowledge of the fundamentals and dynamics of globalization as well as opportunities to be immersed in study, work, or research abroad are key elements that should be integrated into engineering programs.
- Universities should make international preparation a priority in their institution’s strategic plans and actively pursue it.
- Universities need to recognize the positive correlation between the degree of international academic and research collaboration and the quality of the institution and its goals to provide a world-class education. International research and education should finally come together and research universities are uniquely positioned to exploit this international potential.
- Industries should also play a greater supportive role. They should use their influence and capacities on university advisory boards to promote global preparation. More opportunities for students to be involved in global teams, projects, and designs are needed from industry, either through on-campus experiences, such as research and educational projects or case studies, or off-campus internships.
Transnational mobility for engineering students, researchers, and professionals needs to become a priority.
- Barriers to studying, working, conducting research, and attending meetings internationally need to be removed and incentives expanded.
- Universities and engineering programs need to develop more flexible approaches to their educational programs.
- Strong inter-institutional international partnerships involving student exchanges, dual, double, and joint degrees, and transfer credits are proven means to enhance student participation. Universities should enhance student participation. Universities should also encourage and provide more support for international faculty member leaves and sabbaticals.
- Government-imposed barriers, such as restrictive visa policies and work permits, especially for students, need to be relaxed.
- Funding agencies should provide more support for programs that enhance international study, work, and research programs. Accreditation agencies and licensing boards need to continue to work toward the mutual recognition of accredited degrees and licensure.
- Industry can support faculty members and student mobility by providing greater financial support, employment opportunities, and of course research projects.
- Industry leaves and sabbaticals would both promote awareness of the global practice of engineering and provide invaluable international exposure.
Global engineering excellence depends critically on a mutual commitment to partnerships, especially those that link engineering education to professional practice.
- Industry must take the lead in developing opportunities for students to practice engineering in a global context, whether through on-site employment, virtual involvement in global engineering projects, or other experiential opportunities.
- Universities should initiate more collaborative activities with industry, such as research, educational projects, and transnational internship programs.
- Significant industry representation on advisory boards and invitations of industry engineers, managers, and researchers to campus regularly will promote mutual understanding of university-industry.
- Professional engineering organizations should collaborate more across the borders; they should work to strengthen the dialogue between professional practice and academia; they should help define and monitor global engineering qualifications.
Research on engineering in a global context is urgently needed.
- The phenomenon of global engineering is still emerging. There is a need for a theoretical foundation on learning behavior and models as well as on organizational processes and management methods focused on instilling global competence in engineers.
- Government agencies need to create programs that support research on global engineering processes, methods, and tools as well as on understanding learning behaviors.
- Industry participation in the assessment and evaluation of international experiences is vital. Without the real-world assessment of the skills, capabilities, and abilities of engineering graduates, achievement of program objectives will remain unknown.
Only a genuine commitment and sustained collaboration among all the stakeholders in engineering education will ensure a substantially increasing number of well-qualified, globally prepared engineers worldwide.
The Global Engineering Excellence Team would welcome the partnership of other academic institutions around the world as we move forward to educate the next generation of engineers for the global workplace. For more in-depth information on the GEE Study, please visit http://www.global-engineering-excellence.org/.
Study Report
The study In Search of Global Engineering Excellence: Educating the Next Generation of Engineers for the Global Workplace is available in several languages and different versions: long, medium and summary. Download here
Results:
