World Engineer Day for Sustainable Development, an international day of celebration of engineers and engineering, is on 4 March 2020. Last year, DiscoverE, a group that helps unite, mobilize, and support the engineering and technology volunteer communities to increase their collaborative footprint in K-12 education, teamed up with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations and UNESCO to coordinate the celebration.
Leading up to March 4, the 2020 Global Engineer Survey was launched to gain insight into how engineers see the future. The survey asked over 10,000 engineers from 119 countries their thoughts about the years to come. What will be the biggest global challenges faced by tomorrow’s engineers? How will they solve those challenges? What technologies will shape the future?
Respondents were particularly concerned about the future of their profession. When asked about whether they feel there will be a shortage in their field, 54% said the world will have a shortage of engineers in the future, while 58% said they thought the world would suffer from a lack of technicians and technologists.
They also recognized four major challenges that will be critical to overcome. In the next 25 years, cyberspace will need to be secure, land and oceans will need to be sustainable, energy will need to be economical and green, and sustainable and resilient infrastructure will need to be achieved.
Young engineers are particularly ambitious. The survey showed that 18-24 year old engineers, technicians, and technologists are hopeful that they can solve global challenges. The top three factors necessary to solve them include more support from government and policymakers, the development of new technologies, and interdisciplinary collaboration and international cooperation.
Results also showed interest in helping develop the next generation of engineering leaders. 96% of participants said it’s important to volunteer with primary and secondary students to introduce them to engineering.
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