The continuing education of engineers and engineering managers

Abstract

This paper seeks to provide a clear view of the realities and progress in continuing education for engineers and engineering managers. To develop a better understanding of current and future requirements to meet the educational and developmental needs of tomorrow's engineers, several critical realities were considered in this study. What kind of engineers will industry, government and society need in the future? What are the practical demands on engineers for their educational development (like Professional Development Hours (PDH) for maintaining their professional license) and the demands on their future knowledge base to succeed? How do engineers meet the PDH requirements imposed by the state engineering licensing boards? Are we prepared for the future educational demands of engineers and engineering managers? This study conducted an analysis of what the profession is currently defining as the future educational needs for the engineer of tomorrow. Also, this study looks at the total number of PDH training units for engineers across the USA, considering individual state requirements and continuing educational opportunities (degree and non-degree options). The paper discusses gaps and pitfalls that may arise in current state by matching experts' opinions on requirements for future engineers and current trends in engineering education.