{"id":5084,"date":"2025-03-25T16:58:13","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T17:58:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/?p=5084"},"modified":"2025-03-27T15:53:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T15:53:35","slug":"future-forward-help-recruit-the-next-generation-of-engineers-to-shape-their-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mywatchseries.me\/index.php\/2025\/03\/25\/future-forward-help-recruit-the-next-generation-of-engineers-to-shape-their-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Future Forward: Help Recruit the Next Generation of Engineers To Shape Their Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

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It\u2019s no secret that the engineering industry, like many others, is facing a shortage of qualified workers. In fact, it could be said that our industry has become a victim of its own success. After years of advocating for increased spending on infrastructure, post-COVID recovery legislation delivered an infusion of more than $1 trillion toward roads and bridges, rail, transit, airports, the electric grid, and water systems.<\/p>\n

For the engineering industry, what was once a dream is now a predicament: we have all the work we can handle, and not enough qualified people to handle it. More than 50 percent of firms report that they\u2019re turning down new projects due to staff shortages, with 25 percent declining highly profitable, community-enhancing work because they simply can\u2019t find enough engineers.<\/p>\n

Beyond the Summit<\/strong><\/p>\n

In April 2024, nearly four dozen leaders from engineering and public-works associations, academia and government gathered at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Washington, D.C., offices for the first-ever Engineering and Public Works Workforce Summit. Billed as part discovery process, part brainstorming session, much of the focus of the discussion centered around one question: What\u2019s the engineering industry doing to attract the next generation of engineers?<\/p>\n

Participants in that Summit represented a cross-section of America. There were men and women of all races, experiences and backgrounds who had independently arrived at the same conclusion: engineering as an industry needs to be more intentional about attracting young people.<\/p>\n

By the time this piece is published in April 2025, we will have convened for another Summit. We also will be deep into college-acceptance season. To these bright young people embarking on their futures, our message must be that engineering is about more than numbers and formulas, systems and structures. It\u2019s incumbent on us as an industry to tell the story of engineering. Our task is not simply to inform, but to inspire. Engineering is not just a field; for those of us who love it, engineering is a calling\u2014a commitment to innovation, problem-solving and the relentless pursuit of progress.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a compelling case, but if the first time we state it is with high-school seniors, we\u2019ve missed our window. That was the second point on which Summit attendees agreed. Early exposure is crucial, and the role of parents can\u2019t be overstated. Across socioeconomic lines, kids get their first impressions and advice on career paths from their parents. Whether it\u2019s more-affluent families who can speak to their own career experiences or aspirational lower-income families looking for opportunities for their kids, conversations about career trajectories usually begin in the home.<\/p>\n

Engineers as Evangelists<\/strong><\/p>\n

But at the end of the day, the responsibility to bolster our workforce is our own. If we want to create more engineers, engineers must serve as evangelists. It falls on us to tell the story of how rewarding it can be to stand in front of something that makes lives better and know you had a hand in creating it. From crafting solutions to climate change to reinventing urban landscapes, the opportunities are as vast as they are vital. Our message to young people\u2014the younger, the better\u2014must be that engineering is a chance to shape the future, rather than merely inherit it.<\/p>\n

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About Rodney Chester<\/a><\/h3>\n

Rodney Chester is the CEO of Gresham Smith and chair of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Workforce Committee; email: institute@acec.org.<\/p>\n

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