Digitization: Learning engineering students is still the Right one?

Who employs more than 200,000 engineers,. logically a watchful eye on the training of young engineers at universities Since then, if his world is changing rapidly. The German machine builders at any rate, as the industry is the largest industrial employer in this country, have commissioned a study to find out: What is taught in the universities and at a time that is characterised by digitisation, the flood of data and Artificial intelligence? The concern is not that the classical engineering studies and the modern world go together, because industry and the Internet are merging more and more, machines are networked, communicate, plan ahead, and independently, collect tons of data. Without IT knowledge.

Uwe Marx

editor in the economy.

F. A. Z.

The Institute for Social science research in Munich (ISF) has asked the German engineering Federation VDMA, in companies and universities, whether the content fit to the requirements, and where Changes are needed. That is something you must do, and hold the authors to be self-evident. In mechanical engineering, but also in electrical engineering basic knowledge in computer science to be vital in the future. This is already in those fields of reading, the mastery company of engineers today expect: computer science, Data Science, data security.

However, the authors are skeptical in what concerns the implementation. The Curricula are full, and new content to add would be to delete the old. Apart from the administrative hurdles in the faculties and departments can be high. The academic mills grind slowly, while the world of work of engineers is changing faster than ever.

industry 4.0 is not a priority

Without major interdisciplinary entanglement of study content is not going to be resolved. Mechanical engineering, electrical engineering and computer science should be more closely linked. The study proposes a joint engineering basic course over two semesters. There, students would then have enough of everything. Would have to set the universities in the teaching, the research, however, was more advanced and closer to the new content. Secretly, authors and Clients have even the hope that the greater importance of IT-related issues might attract more women. In the past few years, Attempts to increase the number of engineers significantly, rather disappointing.

While there are today significantly more courses than in the past, however, studied mechanical engineering with a focus on industry 4.0. A re-labeling is, however, not a goal. It rich to extend the previous sound basic education with additional new content. Here we are only at the beginning.

Asked what he would advise aspiring engineers today, said Eckhard Heidling, a scientist at the ISF and project Manager of the study: “Early to IT to take care of and work placements in research companies.”