Graduate training needs further development

With technology developing at a rapid rate, knowledge gaps are becoming ever wider as courses are expected to cover more ground. Rather than lamenting failing standards in education, maybe it is the job of companies operating in the UK to develop more graduate training programmes, to make sure that the wealth of experience that our established engineering force has is passed down to the new generation. Working within a mechanical engineering discipline it's quite common to hear experienced engineers comment on the inexperience and lack of knowledge of recent graduates. It is felt that courses aren't teaching basic skills such as reading and understanding technical drawings, calculating tolerances, surface finishing requirements or material selection. This lack of real world knowledge and skills means that often graduate engineers aren't able to hit the ground running and additional training is required to turn them into profitable employees. But rather than blaming graduates or the education system for a decline in standards, it's important that we take the time to look back to our careers and consider the changes that we've seen in the engineering profession as a whole over the last decade or so. While some engineering undergraduates enter university with a specific career plan, many undergraduates have little idea what area of engineering they may end up in. In some cases they may even be unsure if they will take up a career in engineering at all after graduating. Some engineers found themselves studying engineering not because they knew specifically what career they hoped to enter but more because of a general interest and the fact that their educational choices suited a science or engineering route. This can lead to a lack of focus in on any one particular discipline. With this in mind it is impossible to expect a graduate to focus all of their attention on a particular sub-set of skills while they are studying, rather they must study as broad a spectrum as possible to provide them with options once they graduate. The last 25 years has seen a revolution in engineering design since Cad technology has become almost universal. Now an average college design and technology student can build a 3D model on their computer then print it on the school's 3D printer. With technologies like this emerging, there is little wonder that modern graduates are spending more time developing their computer based skills and less on analogue skills. This migration from paper to computer can account partially for the gap in understanding of tolerances and material selection as students simply aren't forced to consider them as we were; relying instead on computer programmes which work them out automatically. What we as an industry have to accept is that no education centre is going to risk to be seen as outdated by moving their syllabus away from modern technologies. And nor should they: it is their responsibility to educate students in the modern developments of engineering so that graduates can enter the world of work at the cutting edge. It is then the employer's responsibility to mould their skill to match the requirements of the jobs they are given. Companies that generate their own training material are able to educate graduates on the specialist subject they will require. The training is generally well received by everyone who has completed it. As a matter of routine, Brevini has been able to develop graduates with no real-world experience into a fully competent role within 6 months. Previously this could have taken anywhere up to two years. If companies aren't willing to invest in the country's young engineers and commit to supporting their growth in the early stages of their careers, then we will only have ourselves to blame if, in 20 years' time, all the experienced engineers begin to retire we will have no-one to replace them.