Graduate to professional engineer in a knowledge organisation - does the undergraduate curriculum provide the basic skills?

Knowledge is recognised as a key element of organisational value. Some organisational models have been proposed in which the core headcount is concerned with the ability of the organisation to make effective use of its knowledge resources. The graduate Engineer has satisfied the academic standards of the appropriate institution for Chartered Engineer membership. The transition from graduate to professional engineer is marked by the development of skills that rely on the ability to integrate engineering knowledge with other skills, such as judgement, ethics, people skills and personal development. Two issues arise from these observations, namely that employers are looking for knowledge skills in addition to engineering knowledge, and professional development to meet standards for chartered engineer will be consistent with the knowledge focus of the organisation. In this article, the authors suggest that these two issues pose fundamental questions concerning the basic skills gained as undergraduates and how they influence employability and professional development. Further consideration is given to how curricular change might address these issues

The role of work based learning methodologies in the development of life long engineering education in the 21st century

Education in the 21st century finds itself having to face many challenges in order to satisfy the expectations of governments, students and industry. Some readily identifiable themes are life-long learning, Continuous Professional Development (CPD), wider access routes for non-traditional students, the development of knowledge workers and the role of tacit knowledge and skills associated with emotional intelligence (EQ-i). The article examines each of these themes in the context of engineering education in the 21st Century and proposes a set of key issues for each theme that reflects its contribution to the development of students and practicing engineers. Using key issues and the basic concepts of Work-Based Learning (WBL), its potential to contribute to the delivery of each theme is assessed. The resulting observations are then used to identify the effectiveness of current WBL methodologies, such as reflective practice, in achieving the educational objectives of each theme. A set of guidelines for the use of WBL in the delivery of different thematic objectives