Project management: The key to engineering employability

In the modern engineering work environment, much of what takes place is in the form of projects. The 'project' has become for many companies the most common currency, yet how projects are managed is not as effective as it should be, particularly if businesses are to grow and prosper. In many organisations it is engineers that find themselves identified as project managers, yet they do not always possess the right skills to perform effectively in the role. With references to student experiences from a newly developed module in project management, this paper will explore the rationale of the module construction and discuss how a focus on employability has been the key driver. The balance between 'hard' and 'soft' skills will be considered, in particular the way in which they are introduced to engineering students to ensure their relevance is apparent. The use of a term long project using enquiry based learning has been supplemented with lectures, games, DVD's and a visit away from the university. With increasing focus on making higher education courses relevant to future employability, this module, the keystone course on an MSc in Engineering Management, has become a catalyst for the development of the overall programme and a driver towards professional accreditation. Having established the module and seen the positive experiential feedback from students, the next steps will involve a longitudinal study in which the graduating students will be tracked as they enter the world of work to capture their project management experiences.