Understandings of value in engineering practice

This paper draws on a large body of empirical data from interviews and field observations to suggest that many engineers, even some professional organizations, have difficulty explaining the commercial value of engineering work. This difficulty could contribute to a public and employer perception that marginalizes the significance of engineering work. Research data came from qualitative interviews with engineers in Australia and other material. Data from individual engineers and other studies contributes to a description that educators and engineers could draw on to better explain the value of engineering to students, firms and the community at large. This paper presents a limited sample of the evidence behind this research.