Higher Education Academy Engineering Subject Centre

This symposium aimed to address the question “how can we enhance a sustainable world-class higher education engineering sector that meets the graduate recruitment needs of industry?”

The proceedings will contribute to a government funded study (Engineers for Enterprise) that is undertaking a review of current approaches to engineering degree courses. The study’s aims are to identify effective practices and make recommendations about what more could be done, and what support is needed, to better enable universities working together with industry to meet these needs in the future.

Engineering academics responsible for programme development were invited to attend this symposium to provide additional evidence of practice across universities in the UK, to comment on the initial findings from the study and to discuss the issues and cost benefits in developing experience-led degrees.

During the course of the day there was an opportunity to find out more about the study and initial findings from detailed case studies from six universities.

We were also keen to find out from other engineering departments about the evidence available to show developments within the curriculum that have made a difference in meeting the needs of industry. Heads of departments and schools (or their nominated representatives) were invited to submit a brief abstract.

Background to the study

Following Recommendation 7.17 of his Review of Government Science and Innovation Policies, Lord Sainsbury asked the President of the Academy, Lord Browne of Madingley FREng FRS, to lead a group of experts in conducting a review of approaches to engineering education. The Sainsbury Review (7.83-7.84) makes it clear that this should be focussed on taking forward the findings and recommendations of the RAEng Educating Engineers for the 21st Century (EE21C) report with a view to developing experience-led degrees. For the purposes of this study, ‘experience-led engineering degree’ is understood to be an engineering degree which develops industry related skills and which may also include industry interaction.

The study is being run through a Project Management Group, chaired by Professor Bill Wakeham, FREng, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton. The Engineering Subject Centre is undertaking the day-to-day management of the study. A case study approach has been adopted to examine the opportunities, barriers and costs (as far as possible) involved. This includes the differing perspectives of the main stakeholders, for example, students, graduates, employers and all necessary staff groups (academic, learning and teaching and support). A final report will be published in autumn 2009.