Is engineering education is satisfying industrial needs ?

Industrial needs base on student experience

     




 The industrial needs will be pointed on the base  on experience of one of the largest European
engineering students organization BEST (Board of European Students of Technology). Members of
that organization have opportunity to travel through different European countries, seeing how the
education system works in each of them. They  also visited many companies and had a meetings
with the managers form one of the biggest worldwide business like: Procter & Gamble, Shell,
Accenture, Schlumberger, ICI, Whirlpool, Masterfoods, Electrolux, Capgemini, McKinsey &
Company, Altran, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Ernst & Young and many others. Since BEST is an
organization which is helping industries in finding the best students for them, helping them and
participating in a interviews, they learned what are the modern requirements which will satisfy the
industrial needs.

It seems that in a one hand we can find some commons between education and industry and in the
other their or two separated, independent institutions. Very good background and basic knowledge
are the ideas which are in a high interest for the now days modern industry. It is obvious that
engineers without a good knowledge will not build a good base for their bridge, and no one will
want to stand below that bridge. But good theory knowledge is not enough: our future engineer has
to have a good practice. Only when we will apply the practice together with knowledge we can
obtain the best engineering education product overlooked today by industry.

Industry complains on lack of practical skills of our graduate students. But the practice and
knowledge are not only a factors seeking by an industrial employer, the good communications
skills, ability of work with a group of people, leadership and a hobby are also in a high interest now
days. It already happened a few times when they had a two students, the same university, the same
age, only a difference was that one of them had a highest marks and no hobby, no any other extra
activities. The other was a little bit more then average student, but he was a person which had a lot
of achievements in his life, he liked to spend time in an active way, helping others, working with
different groups, organizations, participating with many projects. The employers where always
choosing the second one, with high area of interest.

The engineering education market is composed through public and privet institutions, but also new

universities established by the global companies are also starting today. The engineering
educational institutions as a hubs/ centre of excellences are in plans, too. What should we do to
make it work better? An engineering education starts with a creative child's first lesson in science or
math.  Unfortunately (talking about Poland, and Easter countries) that education ends right away
after that class. That lesson or real practice should stars at the elementary school and ends when we
are retired or maybe even after, because engineering education is with us to the vary end. We can
ask how to participate in an engineering projects being at the elementary school? The answer is
simple, being engineer is not only making calculations but also designing and drawing: going in
that direction we could ask kids for example to draw their perfect imaginary toy. That is the perfect
moment when cooperation between education and industry starts. In that way future engineers will
learn the real world and practice from the very beginning. We can to conclude that to have a good
engineer, with a good skill we have start to educate them in an early age.

So dear students, please select an institution that provides you the course wear satisfying the corporate industry, instead just an engineering degree.