Study Abroad: Impact On Engineering Careers

In this paper we establish that study abroad, as part of an engineering education, can significantly improve the set of skills new engineers bring to their fields, in the process improving their career opportunities and better meeting the demands of the job market. Data in this paper come from on-going research being conducted by the Institute of International Education for the National Science Foundation with alumni of the Global Engineering Education Exchange (Global E3) program, as well as on-line research of the hiring practices and articulated needs of industry and anecdotal evidence from faculty and Global E3 alumni. I. Traditional engineering education is not meeting marketplace needs P ge 8.043.1 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright January 2003, American Society for Engineering Education In recent years, even as engineering fields face shortages in the labor supply, there have been calls from industry for those newly entering the workforce to come better prepared. Graduating engineering students, in addition to their technical educations, are expected to be prepared with “soft skills,” work experience, and a wide-ranging background not typically provided for in a traditional engineering program. According to Brenda Cox, Manager for International and Advanced Procurement, BMW Manufacturing Corporation, “you must not only be skilled in your area of expertise, but be flexible and have what is often called the ‘soft skills’. These soft skills are needed to maximize your effectiveness within an organization.”1 ABET (the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology), recognizing the changes in the field, incorporated them into the EC 2000 guidelines, requiring that engineering education programs provide “the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global and societal context,” including “hard” and “soft” skills. In March 2001, CENews published the transcript of a roundtable discussion among engineers on the results of surveys conducted by CENews and Roger Williams University entitled, “What Employers Want From New Hires – and What They’re Getting.” During the discussion that focused on the disconnect between industry wants and new hires’ expectations, they delved into the subject of engineering education. Roundtable host, Igor Runge, Dean of Roger Williams University’s School of Engineering, summarized, “[W]e’ve talked about [what] we need to incorporate perhaps more in the education, so that students [who graduate are] more prepared for a job, and that includes management skills, written skills, oral communication skills, ethics, technical skills, more broad-based knowledge, more emphasis on humanities, and it goes on. What can we do as an institution, as a university, as a program? Where can we cut to incorporate more of the positive needs? Is there anything we’re... too good at? How can we get more things into the ‘box’ without increasing the box?”2 [Italics added for emphasis.] There followed a discussion of ways to incorporate required, zero-credit seminars, and other methods for increasing the amount squeezed into the four-year degree, as well as the possibility that the length of degree programs may need to be extended. II. Study abroad helps to meet market place needs A semester or a year of study abroad (complemented, if so desired, with an internship abroad), can provide students with many of the skills that traditional engineering programs have trouble providing. Based on our research, students routinely return from study abroad feeling more confident, better able to express themselves, better able to communicate, more flexible and independent, more willing and able to view issues from multiple perspectives, with a better understanding of the world, and in summation, better able to think outside of the box. According to Katherine Boettrich, vice president, Communications and Sustainability Affairs for ABB Inc., “Early opportunities to study and learn in the global community help students become innovators and critical thinkers. It helps them better prepare to become international leaders of tomorrow.”3 Surprisingly, even with the push from senior and middle management in industry, and new P ge 8.043.2 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright January 2003, American Society for Engineering Education ABET criteria emphasizing precisely the skills provided through study abroad, many faculty remain unconvinced of the importance of international education. Perhaps even more surprising, recruiters of new graduates rarely emphasize international education in their recruiting tactics. For example, the Global E3 program has occasionally encountered faculty members who dismiss the quality of courses their US students take abroad (although this is not as much of a problem for in-coming international students who have taken the same courses abroad). Recruiters very rarely indicate study abroad as a desired (let alone) required criterion for employment. The following quote from a human resources director, from ongoing joint research being conducted by the Institute of International Education, the British Council, the German Academic Exchange Service, and the Australian Education Office, reflects this sentiment, “Overall, we’d need to be convinced of the merits of international education and how it helps the student meet our criteria and our business needs. Right now, other than demonstrating individual initiative and a global awareness, a degree or semester or year study in Australia, Germany or the UK is not seen as an advantage or positive distinction as it doesn’t directly impact our business needs here in the US.”4 Recognizing the limited study abroad opportunities available to engineers until the 1990s, the Global E3 consortium was formed in 1994 by a group of faculty of American and Western European engineering institutions in order to offer study abroad exchange opportunities to their students. The consortium was quickly expanded to other world areas, including Latin America, Eastern Europe, East and Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. There are now 33 member institutions in the United States, and students at these schools may study in any of the more than 70 partner institutions in 17 countries. Many of these overseas institutions offer engineering courses in English, even in countries where the local language is not English, such as in Denmark, Hungary, Turkey, and Japan, as well as English engineering courses in locations where English is widely used, such as in the UK, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Students at any member US institution can study abroad at any overseas partner institutions, and students at overseas partner institutions can study at US member institutions. Global E3 is centrally administered in the United States by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the oldest and largest American organization specializing in international education.5 III. Research Demonstrates That Study Abroad Meets Industry Needs IIE is currently conducting research to look at the impact of study abroad on careers. Roughly 350 recent graduates from US member engineering institutions have studied abroad through Global E3. Some went on to graduate school, but most went straight to work (a few did both). The following preliminary results are based on roughly 40 responses. Of the respondents, 14 (34%) were mechanical engineering majors; 7 (17%) electrical engineering; 6 (15%) industrial engineering majors; 5 (12%) aerospace engineering majors; 5 (12%) chemical engineering; and the balance were materials engineering, civil engineering, and other majors. P ge 8.043.3 Proceedings of the 2003 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright January 2003, American Society for Engineering Education These preliminary responses support the following conclusions:6 Study abroad provides an education in many of the “soft skills” required by ABET and 1) industry. In our research, 70% or more of respondents “strongly agree” or “agree” with statements such as: “My Global E3 experience helped make me more independent and self• sufficient.” “My Global E3 experience helped to strengthen my interpersonal skills.” • “I gained an understanding of professional practices & standards in other • countries.” “My participation in the Global E3 program helped me to develop the ability to • function in a multi-cultural work setting.” “My participation in the Global E3 program helped me to develop the ability to • function on multi-disciplinary teams.” “My participation in the Global E3 program helped me to develop the ability to • communicate effectively.” Over 60% of respondents learned technical skills overseas, often from a perspective 2) not taught in the US (see discussion below). However, few recruiters actively seek applicants with study abroad experience, and do 3) not see value in that experience. They do not seem to recognize the connections between study abroad experience and many of the skills that they are seeking in new recruits. As one respondent put it bluntly, “It seems that HR people don’t care about international experience.” Although, study abroad does not necessarily help a student get an interview, once the 4) student meets with the potential employer, the experiences of the study abroad experience and the skills gained during that time become more obvious to the interviewer, and help to set the applicant apart from other applicants, giving him/her an edge. In a comment that reflected many responses, one respondent noted, “my experiences through Global E3 have given me many answers to questions in interviews.” Another respondent noted that study abroad “helped in looking for a job. Although most employers were not directly looking for someone with international experience, they were all amazed at s