The Development of Creative Engineers

Abstract

We shall consider some aspects of the development of creative engineers by means of undergraduate university programmes in the United Kingdom. Attention will be given to the nature and objectives of such programmes with particular emphasis on the selection of students for entry to them. For illustration, some reference will be made to the development of one undergraduate engineering programme. earlier. That speech dealt, amongst other things, with the need to develop educational activities in the light of the needs of the UK economy and UK industry. Much of the subsequent debate was focussed upon engineering industries and the engineering profession and therefore upon engineering education and training. Commentators, often drawing upon Anglo-German and similar comparisons, identified the many peculiar characteristics of the UK engineering education system (2). The emphasis upon a science-oriented approach with the relative subordination of technology, the diminution of the concept of art in engineering education, and the absence in the UK of any concept or approach corresponding to the Tecnik concept widespread in Germany, were common observations in this debate. This discussion originated and flourished at a time when undergraduate engineering courses in the UK universities and polytechnics were under-subscribed. In this situation the University Grants Committee (UGC) caused the establishment of so- called 'enhanced' undergraduate engineering courses in eight universities. This heralded a period of fairly widespread innovation in undergraduate engineering education in universities and polytechnics, such that by the time of the publication of the Finniston Report, over twelve universities and two polytechnics had established new undergraduate engineering programmes, each in their different ways aiming to attract high quality students for development as competent and capable engineers for UK manufacturing industry. The recommendations of the Finniston Report added momentum to this development. The report drew attention to the importance of this 'formation' of engineers as an integrated process involving study and training. This approach was consistent with the predominant views of the engineering professional bodies (e.g. the Institution of Mechanical Engineers was beginning to move towards an obligatory five year integrated study/training programme (3) ) and a similar line had been taken by the Engineering Industry Training Board. Thus, the substance of the Report's recommendations on engineering education and training provided few