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

Burns, G.R. and Chisholm, C.U. (2005) Graduate to professional engineer in a knowledge organisation - does the undergraduate curriculum provide the basic skills? Global Journal of Engineering Education, 9(1),

Abstract

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.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: 04/05-2
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: UNSPECIFIED
• Authors: Burns, G.R., and Chisholm, C.U.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: Global Journal of Engineering Education