Investing in the future of engineering education infrastructure for sustainability

Abstract

Engineering education for engineers in the past has often been confined to traditional engineering programs offered by engineering faculties, often in the form of a Bachelor of Engineering degree or even a Master of Engineering at a postgraduate level. In recent years, there is also a proliferation of short-term courses and intensive workshops from non-traditional education providers and in-house training operations, particularly for tackling sustainability and environmental compliance issues. This change in delivery and curricula preference is mainly as a result of the changing dynamics and needs of clients and government policies within the engineering context. However, one must pose the question in preparation for the next significant environmental shift in the education and professional development sector, “What is the next paradigm in education and professional development in terms of delivery and curricula for the sustainability-trained engineers?” This paper proposes a new collaborative modal framework for delivering engineering education for engineers for all levels of management. The proposal is based on environmental scans of the predicted future professional development needs of engineers at all levels. The motivation for developing such a model is to allow professional development and education providers to consolidate and efficiently deliver accredited programs that fulfil the needs of engineers dealing with the sustainability sector eg. Green Building design and certification and renewable energy solutions. It also aims to elevate the recognition of continuous professional development in an engineering career and to create a platform for continuous updating of curricula as the sustainability sector innovates and evolves. The modal framework is centred on the opportunity to consolidate the fragmented nature of the engineering professional development market, and also to create an ideal environment to embed sustainability principles and practices within undergraduate and postgraduate studies at universities.