Graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are key to providing the higher level skills that are required for economic recovery and long-term prosperity in the UK.

Engineers play a crucial role in emerging and growth sectors and, critically, engineering expertise is largely made up of ‘know-how’. Specifically, companies require more engineering graduates with practical experience of industry.

Stronger partnerships between industry and higher education (HE) can ensure that an increasingly diverse student body develops the engineering skills necessary to meet the future recruitment needs of a globally competitive industry.

The Engineering graduates for industry report

‘Engineering graduates for industry’ was commissioned by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills – now the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) – following a recommendation made by Lord Sainsbury of Turville in his review of the Government’s Science and Innovation policies (‘The Race to the Top’ October 2007) to “… review current approaches to engineering education … [and] develop, with a number of leading engineering universities, an experience-led engineering degree ...”. 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.

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The principal objective of the study was to take the findings and recommendations from the Royal Academy of Engineering’s Educating Engineers for the 21st Century report which examined the needs of industry in depth, and to build on this to identify effective practices within current and developing experience-led engineering degrees that meet these needs. An ‘experience-led engineering degree’ is understood to be an engineering degree which develops industry related skills and which may also include industry interaction.

Methodology

A case study approach was used to provide an in-depth examination of experience-led engineering activity in six English universities and to examine the opportunities, barriers and costs (as far as possible) involved with curriculum change. This included the differing perspectives of the main stakeholders, for example, students, graduates, employers, and all necessary staff groups (academic, learning and teaching, and support) and an examination of first jobs on graduation. 

The case study research was undertaken by the Engineering Subject Centre through the Royal Academy of Engineering and directed by an Oversight Group, initially chaired by Lord Browne of Madingley and then by Professor Sir William Wakeham, comprising senior engineering academics, industrialists, professional affiliates and government representatives.

Universities involved

Six universities provided in-depth case studies and a total of 15 exemplars for the study as shown in Table 1. Universities were selected to cover a broad range of university types, geographical locations (within England), engineering disciplines, range of industrial activity / involvement / skills provided. All cases were focused on undergraduate studies only.

Table 1. Summary of case study institutions

University	Faculty/ School	Engineering disciplines covered in this study	Exemplars
Aston University	School of Engineering and Applied Science	Chemical, Computer Science, Electronic, Engineering Systems and Management, Mechanical	1. Industrial placements 2. Foundation degrees in power engineering
Coventry University	Faculty of Engineering and Computing	Aerospace, Automotive, Built Environment, Civil, Computing, Electronic, Knowledge Management, Mechanical	3. Activity led learning
Imperial College London	Faculty of Engineering	Aeronautics, Bioengineering, Chemical, Civil, Computing, Electrical, Electronic, Environmental, Materials, Mechanical	4. Industrial simulation (Constructionarium and chemical pilot plant) 5. Discipline-based support (enVision) 6. Large group projects 7. Student-led activities
University of Liverpool	Faculty of Engineering	Aerospace, Civil, Materials Science, Mechanical	8. Active learning (adapted from CDIO) 9. Visiting professors
London South Bank University	Faculty of Engineering, Science and The Built Environment	Applied Sciences, Engineering and Design, The Built Environment, Urban Engineering	10. Understanding stakeholder needs 11. 'Live' experimental laboratory (CEREB)
Loughborough University	Faculty of Engineering	Aeronautical, Automotive, Building, Chemical, Civil, Electrical, Electronic, Manufacturing, Mechanical	12. Industrial placements (Diploma in Industrial Studies) 13. Industrial group projects (Teaching Contract Scheme) 14. Sponsored degree programmes 15. Discipline-based support (engCETL)
University College London	Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering Department

Part way through the data collection, a symposium for engineering academics entitled Meeting the Needs of Industry in Higher Education’ was held on 10th June 2009. This event enabled validation of initial findings and also identified additional material, especially from seven presenters from further universities across England, Northern Ireland and Australia. University College London, who discussed the radical curriculum changes implemented for undergraduate programmes in their Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering Department, was subsequently invited to provide an additional mini case study. All symposium abstracts are available at http://www.engsc.ac.uk/nef/events/meeting-the-needs-of-industry.asp.