Engineering Professors’ Council

Future Programmes Working Group Report – July 2008

Background

A Working Group has been set up to develop a unified view of what is expected of graduates in the 21st century.  This includes the government’s drive towards skill based education through work experience, the implementation of the Leitch report, the creation of the ‘Innovation Nation’, the Royal Academy’s view of the 21st Century engineering education which is systems based, the Sector Skills Councils developing qualification frameworks, EC(UK)’s UK Spec, the professional institutions guidelines for integration of skills within a technical framework, the demands of industry for increased engagement with universities, and the international recognition of the engineering education.  Membership includes academics, and representatives from Sector Skills Councils, Professional Institutions, DIUS, BERR, RAEng, EPC, EC(UK) and universities.

Action To date

A meeting was held at Carlton Terrace (RAEng) on 30th May.  Each member of the Group presented heir overview of the direction engineering education could take.  This proved informative and illuminating leading to a collective view that the Group should continue to meet.  A number of themes were identified to focus the future discussion; a number of related activities were noted that will impact o the future of engineering education.

Future Themes

• Experience-led engineering degrees
• Industry involvement with the universities
• Recruitment
• The Knowledge Base
• Student engagement in taking engineering degrees
• Teaching staffs' needs for professional development
• Welcoming diversity and innovation
• KTPs development
• Balance in universities between teaching and research-led academics
• Funding the 14-19 Diploma: can the Local Authorities cope?
• Ensuring more Engineering is included in the course content across the school curriculum
• The Industry Requirement for "Oven Ready" Graduates, IPD and CPD
• The need to ensure that HEFCE core funding covers basic costs
• The need for further (SRIF type) investment for industry standard laboratories, equipment and the development of more experiential teaching methods to enable engineering to be taught more effectively along the lines of a "medical model"

Items suggested for the Provisional Agenda for a meeting in October.

• Student Feedback; results from the EngSc Study
• Progress on the EE21C and Engineers for Enterprise Projects
• DIUS Select Committee Report
• HEFCE Initiatives (e.g. Costing Study)
• Report of Discussions with John Denham
• 14/19 Diploma in Engineering Progress Report

BGC 5/7/2008