Over the past year, more and more reports are indicating that the electrical engineering sector is on the rise, especially with the increasing rise of STEM, opportunities in the mechanical and electrical are arising in abundance.
According to Julian Wragg, EMEA Managing Director at Pluralsight: “STEM subjects are hugely important; however, much of the current technology curriculum for university and college education doesn’t place enough emphasis on the relevant technical skills needed in today’s businesses”. He continues, “the EU Commission reports that by 2020 the continent will have a shortfall of 900,000 much-needed IT professionals — that’s a population the size of Stockholm”.
In a bid to solve this industry crisis, University’s like Penn State in the US, are encouraging students to discover their passion in STEM. Rafic Bachnak, the director of the college’s School of Science, Engineering and Technology at Penn State designed a two-week STEM Summer Enrichment Program at Penn State. 28 high school students from 12 high schools completed the course; many of these students showed great interest in science or mathematics.
Bachnak said “science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are crucial fields for driving innovation and competitiveness.” “STEM jobs show the highest expectation for growth: 17 percent as compared to 10 percent for jobs overall. By 2018, there may be as many as 2.4 million unfilled STEM jobs in the United States”.Stella Batalama, Professor and Department Chair of the University at Buffalo, explains “the past few years have been especially fruitful for us.
We’re starting to see results from the path the department charted, which is based upon integrated research, strategic partnerships and educational community outreach.” Batalama explains the impact of electrical engineering on society: “it’s a daily part of our lives, underpinning the technology found in everything from smartphones to driverless automobiles, health care, security, and the Internet of Things.”And if you’re interested, these are the top 5 engineering jobs of the future:
- Robot Programmer
- Sensor System Integrators
- Algorithm Designer
- 3D Printing Specialist
- Augmented & Virtual Reality Programmer
