A competency gap in the comprehensive design education

Abstract

As product design and realization process are changing constantly due to new challenges in the global working environment, highly skilled workers are needed by companies who want to stay competitive. Those engineers need some new skills that are being identified as missing by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and National Association of Manufacturers. The project named Midwest Coalition for Comprehensive Design Education involves five different colleges which are working on the development of a new program that would bridge the competency gap that currently exists in the education of design and manufacturing engineers. Those institutions are working collaboratively on identification, development and delivery of a new program that will integrate comprehensive design education across associate degree technician and baccalaureate degree technology colleges, in order to increase the skill level in the manufacturing sector. The research related to the core competencies in the advanced manufacturing sector, conducted by Society of Manufacturing Engineers, was the result of complaints that were issued by many industries like automotive, aerospace, electronics and some others. These complaints related to the lack of preparation that future engineers are receiving in colleges and universities in some specific areas that were identified as critical in maintaining innovation in the product design and realization processes for the longer term. The project Midwest Coalition for Comprehensive Design Education has the following objectives: validation of competencies for comprehensive design, development of an interdisciplinary comprehensive design program between partner institutions, development and delivery of educational modules for competitiveness in the global marketplace, development of an educational program in comprehensive design focused on the existing and incumbent workforce, and development of an outreach program for high school students.