Engineers Without Boredom
It isn’t surprising that engineering graduates may have specific skills and attributes related to one specific field in engineering, perhaps something they are passionate about or have a particular interest in. This isn’t and has never been a sole issue in itself but we know companies employing engineering graduates are finding more and more that the skills and qualities of engineers graduating from university are often lacking in an imaginative, creative outlook which could bring so much more to the quality of their work.
To try and ensure graduates are entering the workplace with a range of experience and different qualities to provide fresh new ideas and propositions on their work we plan to create more of an integrated course. This will allow engineering students to still find their own passions and desires within the subject but to also have the rounded experience to ensure they aren’t limited when it comes to working in the real world.
We plan to set up sustainable workshops in which young professionals from engineering disciplines can come together and work together on creative projects. Sustainable engineering and sustainable design go hand in hand and I think it would be an invaluable attribute to have for companies. Even giving graduates a better chance to work with other engineering disciplines would massively improve their skills for the workplace. It would provide them with a chance to work with different people and different working styles leaving them more open-minded and flexible to different styles of work.
As well as workshops, we will also have a foundation year for potential engineering students coming into university who are unsure which path to take and what will be right for them. This will allow them to make a more accurate decision. The foundation year would enable them to experience all aspects of engineering, putting a central focus on creativity within the university. This ultimately would be crucial for post-graduation and for workplace skills. We also found that a lot of engineering students end up transferring course or dropping out altogether and we believe that by establishing a foundation year it will allow students to make a decision on what would best suit themselves. Arguably this would be veering away form engineering but it would allow students to experience a multi-discipline course working with a range of people with varying styles and interests .
Being Product Design Engineers we all feel that the creative side of our course is what lead us onto the engineering path. We believe if people had the chance to experience and see the creative side of engineering without immediately being faced with the harsh maths and science side then they will be more willing to look into and consider an engineering course.
Thank you to our mentor Abdelilah Afdel as well as the help from Arts and Humanities students for the final output.
#engineeringeducation #engineeringinsociety #engineerswithoutboredom #creativemindsdontthinkalike #D2104
At Lancaster Uni, we have about 250 engineering students a year. All of us take general engineering courses in the first year (chemistry, electronics, structural modules). Then, we split into our own degree choices. Idk if that's what you mean by foundation year. Or do you mean American Liberal Arts Edu where even engineering students need to take art courses in year 1?