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The dominant pedagogy for engineering education in the UK still remains “chalk and talk”, despite the large body of education research that demonstrates its ineffectiveness. If the industry studies, accreditation criteria and reviews of engineering education are examined it is clear that the UK's profession watchdog (the Engineering Council), the employers and the students themselves are calling for significant changes to the current philosophy and delivery of engineering education. The modern engineering profession deals constantly with uncertainty, with incomplete data and competing (often conflicting) demands from clients, governments, environmental groups and the general public. It requires skills in human relations as well as technical competence. Whilst trying to incorporate more “human” skills into their knowledge base and professional practice, today’s engineers must also cope with continual technological and organisational change in the workplace. In addition they must cope with the commercial realities of industrial practice in the modern world, as well as the legal consequences of every professional decision they make. The term “project” is universally used in engineering practice as a “unit of work”. Almost every task undertaken in professional practice by an engineer will be in relation to a project. Projects will have varying time scales. A project such as the construction of a large dam or power station may take several years, whilst other engineers may be involved on numerous small projects for various clients at any given time. Projects will have varying complexity, but all will relate in some way to the fundamental theories and techniques of an engineer’s discipline specialisation. It's 'projects', or 'Goals' in academic circles, that form the heart of many of the new work- based learning programmes. This approach has been developed with the guidance and support of the Engineering Council. MSc Professional Engineering
For those Engineers, working in Industry, who don't currently have suitable academic qualifications to become Chartered there is now a new way, pioneered by the Engineering Council, that allows you to gain those academic qualifications through Work Based Learning (WBL) programmes. Our Associates can not only offer advice on how to go about signing up for these programmes, but they also act as Professional Supervisors (see our Associates page) who would work with you throughout the duration of the courses to ensure that you gain those 'competences' required in addition to the academic qualification. Currently there are around 50 engineers around the UK participating in the programme, and I'm pleased to say that the first of these has now completed his programme and graduated with his MSc Professional Engineering from Kingston University - I'm also delighted to say that he was supervised by one of the KTA Principal Associates throughout his programme.
On the International front, KTA Associates began, in early 2010, supporting a similar MSc PE programme developed by Aston University for BP in Angola. A small cadre of Senior Angolan BP engineers have enrolled on the programme, and have been supported by site visits in Luanda by KTA Principal Associates. In 2011 we begin a similar support programme for BP engineers in Indonesia and Papua.
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