Engineering graduates for industry - Royal Academy of Engineering

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Engineering graduates for industry 7. Recommendations Sustainable world-class experience-led HE engineering degree programmes which attract the best students are an essential element to meet the graduate recruitment needs of industry. To achieve this will require input from academia, industry, professional bodies and the government. Eight key research findings have been identified from this study: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● One size doesn’t fit all Experience counts Relevance motivates Change needs champions Responsibility must be shared Management leads change Resources matter Financial sustainability. Three recommendations arise from these research findings. The RAEng and Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre are committed to supporting industry, professional bodies, university engineering departments and government in implementing the recommendations and to disseminating the effective practice highlighted in this report. Recommendation 1 Experience counts and relevance motivates. Experience-led components must be embedded into every engineering degree, using the effective practice outlined in these case studies as inspiration. Experience-led engineering degrees benefit students and industry alike, supporting economic recovery and future prosperity. Outcomes Leadership and commitment to deliver graduates with the required skills The right staff with the right vision and attitude More staff with up-to-date experience of industry Enhancement of the student experience Universities have the capacity to develop flexible approaches to experience-led degrees Active dissemination of effective practice and professional support to implement change Wider adoption of experience-led engineering degrees by HE Mechanism Incorporate proposed changes into business plans including learning space design, equipment, technologies and finances Provide discipline-based support for learning and teaching and reward for excellent teaching Develop, support and encourage use of mechanisms that enable academics to gain insights into industry Increase opportunities for academics and their students to gain experience of industry Provide funding mechanisms that enable universities to use available funds more effectively and to focus on the delivery of experience-led engineering degree programmes Continue to fund the Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre Ensure that degree accreditation requires experience-led components Actioned by Universities University engineering departments Industry Government / the Funding Councils Professional bodies The Royal Academy of Engineering 55
Recommendation 2 Preferential ring-fenced investment in experience-led HE engineering is required to deliver the higher skills needed. Innovative mechanisms are needed to focus and prioritise the investment required, in the context of a difficult fiscal period and an existing shortfall in the funding of engineering degree programmes necessary for financial sustainability. Outcomes Greater efficiencies and students benefit from a wider experience Less reliance on public funding Mechanism Require universities and industry to share knowledge, facilities and equipment Increase income from a wider range of external sources Actioned by University engineering departments and industry Universities Industry takes a more active role in engineering education Removal of perceived obstacles related to the development of innovative mechanisms A focus on the provision of experience-led degrees Increase financial and in-kind support to universities and students, inspired by the exemplars Further research into how universities and industry can be best encouraged and supported to share knowledge, facilities and equipment – overcoming issues related to access, health and safety, staff resistance and other restrictions on use Targeted funding for experience-led engineering degree programmes that demonstrate industrial support and greater efficiency Industry Government / the Funding Councils Recommendation 3 Significant time and energy should be directed towards building, enhancing and sustaining university/industry partnerships. Effective partnerships are a key feature of the most successful exemplars. Outcomes Innovative solutions that may involve multiple stakeholders, academic, industrial and professional More experience-led components and work opportunities that enhance the student experience More industrial input into degree programmes and more work opportunities for students (including high quality industry placements) Increased industrial relevance within degree programmes Greater interaction and collaboration between industry and academia Mechanism Develop effective partnerships and innovative approaches to sustaining relationships Increase engagement with industry, including use of alumni and existing national schemes where available Increase engagement with universities, using staff at all levels as appropriate and existing national schemes where available Utilise fiscal incentives for industry to get more involved with enhancing engineering education Exploit potential of both academic and industrial representation amongst membership through cross-profession working structures Actioned by University engineering departments, professional bodies and industry University engineering departments Industry Government Professional bodies 56 The Royal Academy of Engineering
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Engineering graduates for industry
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Acknowledgements The authors would
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scientific and technical understand
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Contents A commentary i Executive s
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One size doesn’t fit all Learning
Page 11 and 12: Resources matter New teaching metho
Page 13 and 14: 1. Introduction Graduates in STEM a
Page 15 and 16: Table 1: Summary of case study inst
Page 17 and 18: Employers have recently expressed c
Page 19 and 20: employers and their satisfaction wi
Page 21 and 22: 4. Case studies The six full length
Page 23 and 24: For several years the Computer Scie
Page 25 and 26: Two of the utility companies involv
Page 27 and 28: students. It is believed that a hos
Page 29 and 30: that provides a much broader form o
Page 31 and 32: expand in the UK. Another developme
Page 33 and 34: During the running of the project,
Page 35 and 36: Understanding the needs of industry
Page 37 and 38: Effective practice exemplar 9: Use
Page 39 and 40: There are major redevelopments occu
Page 41 and 42: CEREB will provide hands-on learnin
Page 43 and 44: company. Students keep a log book o
Page 45 and 46: individual research project with th
Page 47 and 48: 5. Experience-led components of eng
Page 49 and 50: It was frequently cited that the ex
Page 51 and 52: Figure 3: First career destinations
Page 53 and 54: More generally, all relevant bodies
Page 55 and 56: Examples of radical change include
Page 57 and 58: equipment with consequent benefits
Page 59 and 60: Exemplar 10. Understanding stakehol
Page 61: From the universities’ perspectiv
Page 65 and 66: Professor David Nethercot OBE FREng
Page 67 and 68: APPENDIX 3: Report on costing of en
Page 69 and 70: 4. Sustainable costs 4.1.Both studi
Page 71 and 72: APPENDIX 4: Report on the suitabili
Page 73 and 74: APPENDIX 6: Report on the Suitabili
Page 75: universities and industry in this a
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