Challenges to engineering education

There is a paradox in Britain´s glorious engineering innovations and achievements in the nineteenth century and the traditionally poor status of engineering education and the professional engineer. The challenges presented to us to create a better organised, more relevant engineering education as Britain began to lose out to international markets at the end of the nineteenth century were not taken up, our education system continued to revolve around the academic traditions of the great medieval universities. But there are signs that attitudes are now changing. In education, curricula and courses are being revised and reoriented. Industry is beginning to influence the education system to provide more relevantly trained manpower. Government has responded where there is urgent need, as in the information-technology initiative. The Department of Trade and Industry´s r¿¿le is to provide the right climate in which industry and commerce can flourish, and to encourage the provision of sufficient trained manpower. There is a need to stimulate awareness of the r¿¿le of the engineer, particularly in efficient manufacture, good design and reliable quality. Our awareness and support schemes for the introduction of new technologies have been very successful, but new and urgent demands upon education and training are growing. We need a new breed of engineer, with multidisciplinary engineering, business and management skills. Engineering education is beginning to respond to these challenges, and this momentum must be continued.