Engineering Education Goals;
Building Tomorrow’s Leaders
Cyron Anthony Soyza
Phoenix Training and Development Centre
Johor Barhu, Malaysia
Karl Kolmetz
KLM Technology Group
Johor Barhu, Malaysia
Chee Mun Tham
KLM Technology Group
Johor Bahru, Malaysia
REGIONAL CONFERENCE
ON ENGINEERING EDUCATION 2005
Engineering Education: Meeting the Challenges of Graduates Employability
December 12-15, 2005
Eden Garden Hotel, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia.
Abstract
The goal of any education program is to provide the student the tool set, or tool box, to perform the objective of the intended training. For some training curriculum, this is a straight forward task. You perform task ABC, and get XYZ.
The challenge for engineering training is the definition of an engineer.
1. One who is trained or professionally engaged in a branch of engineering,
2. A person who uses scientific knowledge to solve practical problems,
3. One who operates an engine,
4. One who skillfully or shrewdly manages an enterprise,
5. A person who harnesses resources for betterment of mankind and his environment.
An engineer can be a person who develops, manages or optimizes a process to safely produce a product at the most reasonable cost. A humorous quote is - an engineer is someone who make for ten cents what any fool can make for a dollar.
Involved in the required engineering tool set is scientific knowledge, analysis tools, optimization tools, economic tools, and personnel management skills. The goal of engineering education is to build tomorrow’s enterprise leaders. It is very important to look at the qualities that we wish to have in tomorrow’s leaders and instill them in our engineering education today – the correct attitude as well as aptitude.