The European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) represents the largest network of technical education institutions and professors in Europe. SEFI is a non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in Belgium in 1973. The aims and objectives of SEFI are to contribute to the development and improvement of engineering education in Europe, to strengthen the status of engineers in society, to provide services to its members, to disseminate information about engineering education, to enhance communication and exchanges between teachers, researchers, and students, to develop collaborations between engineering education organizations and higher technical education institutions, and to promote cooperation in higher technical education. SEFI serves its members as a European forum composed of higher technical education institutions, academic and teaching staff, students, industry associations, and companies from 47 countries. SEFI’s objectives are achieved through a series of activities such as annual conferences, seminars, and ad-hoc workshops organized by SEFI working groups, pilot working groups on specific topics, the organization of European Deans’ Conventions in Engineering, publications (including the European Journal of Engineering Education), European projects, and position papers. A significant part of SEFI’s activities is dedicated to collaboration with other major European and international associations and institutions, the European Commission, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, or OECD (https://www.sefi.be/).
As a result of its ongoing activities, SEFI consistently submits documents expressing viewpoints and/or making proposals on various topics of interest. Thus, within two public documents, SEFI presents its position and proposals regarding the accreditation of engineering programs and the skills of engineering graduates, outlined as follows.
SEFI’s Position on the Accreditation of Engineering Training Programs
– One of the main objectives of accrediting engineering education programs is to ensure transparency in the educational process and to build trust, facilitating the mobility of students and graduates;
– A European system for accrediting engineering education programs should consider and respect the rich cultural diversity of European higher education institutions;
– SEFI fully supports the development of the EUR-ACE system (https://www.enaee.eu/eur-ace-system/), as it aligns with the requirement mentioned above, relying on cooperation and mutual recognition between existing national accreditation bodies and being based on learning outcomes for its implementation;
– SEFI encourages all its institutional members, such as higher education institutions, to apply for EUR-ACE certification for their programs;
– SEFI seeks to ensure its support and strong involvement in the activities of ENAEE and, in particular, supports the idea of submitting a new request to the European Commission for further advancing the European engineering education accreditation system. SEFI intends to play an active role.
SEFI’s Position on the Skills of Engineering Graduates
Engineering education must go beyond technical skills to enable students in engineering programs to better understand the scope and context of their future roles. Recognizing that there are regional variations in definitions, needs, and priorities for engineering graduates, there are several common key issues in engineer training and education that SEFI supports. These include:
– The world is changing. Engineering graduates should have the skills to function and thrive, as well as adapt as their work environment continuously evolves on both a local and international scale. Consequently, engineering program curricula should support this journey while striving to balance technological development and growth with environmental challenges and their social consequences. The engineer’s role in addressing this balance is essential for our future. Therefore, engineering education must broaden the engineer’s scope of knowledge, in addition to providing deep technical expertise. Critical, creative, reflective thinking, systems thinking, and the ability to synthesize new solutions are essential attributes every engineer should possess, and engineering graduates should develop a deep understanding of ethics and sustainable development.
– Higher engineering education institutions should embrace diversity in both the students they attract and the staff they employ. Diversity is a crucial factor in delivering innovative, sustainable, and well-designed solutions for industrial and societal needs.
– The mobility of engineering graduates and the comparability of engineering programs are important elements of the quality of engineering education. Mobility and comparability are facilitated by various tools, such as the Bologna Declaration, the European Qualifications Framework (EQF), and EUR-ACE certification. In Europe, there is no consensus on structuring engineering education but rather a constructive diversity in program design, which can make comparability difficult and pose an obstacle to student mobility. This reflects the need for engineering programs to align with EQF levels 6 and 7 (bachelor’s and master’s degrees).
– Significant attention must be paid to the sustained development of academic staff. Just as engineering practice changes rapidly, so do the attitudes of new generations of students, and digital teaching/learning methods offer a multitude of possibilities. The complex challenge of educating 21st-century engineering students continues to evolve. Consequently, due attention must be given to how academic staff continuously develop and improve their ability to teach, train, supervise, and inspire student learning, as well as foster the development of an engineering identity in graduates.
– Engineering student education must not stop after completing the first or second cycle. In the first cycle of engineering education, students must learn how to learn, enabling lifelong learning.
– Industrial practices are constantly evolving. Therefore, it is essential to cultivate and strengthen the relationship and exchange of know-how between industry and academia. Program learning outcomes must be validated by industry stakeholders to ensure graduates understand engineering principles and practices. This is a critical aspect of competitiveness.
In 2023, SEFI published a book titled *International Handbook of Engineering Education Research*, which, across 32 chapters, describes current topics of interest in engineering education and research.
All the above considerations collectively point toward the concept of the global engineer. Today’s engineers must see themselves and be seen as global engineers; they must take responsibility for their work and its potential impact on society at large and multiple stakeholders. Engineers need to adopt multiple perspectives of the world, one of which is that of a change agent.
Engineers must embrace global challenges, which are complex and ever-evolving, understand them, and attempt to address them in systematic and holistic ways. To tackle these challenges, current and future generations of engineers will need to leverage both cutting-edge knowledge and technology while developing new skills that allow them to understand the unique contexts of these challenges, aiming for sustainable solutions.
The theme of the global engineer is already under discussion, [1], being considered as an engineer aware of global issues and how they affect their workplace or field, while also being mindful of the impact of their actions on humanity. Giovannelli and Sandekian, [2], define the global engineer as a professional in engineering, constantly mindful of the broader consequences—both physical and social—of their work; with an appreciation for international colleagues and/or organizations; and with sensitivity that makes personal interactions pleasant and effective.
The United States and Japan are among the leading countries in global engineering activities and capabilities, establishing a set of skills for the global engineer, including linguistic and cultural skills, teamwork and group dynamics skills, knowledge of business and engineering cultures in counterpart countries, and an understanding of international variations in engineering education and practice, [3].
A consortium formed by Centrale Supélec University in France and McGill University in Canada has developed the first bachelor’s degree program in Global Engineering, [3]. The program spans four years, with students spending the first two years in France and the following two years in Canada.
In this context, SEFI’s orientation is toward establishing a consensus framework of competencies defining the global engineer, including individual, cognitive, physical, and physiological differences where applicable.
Bibliography
[1] E. Thomas, *Toward a new field of global engineering*, Sustainability, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/14/3789/htm, 2019.
[2] L. Giovannelli, R. Sandekian, *Global engineering: What do we mean by it and how are we preparing our students for it?*, ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings (p. 28410), https://doi.org/10.18260/1-2-28410.
[3] *Engineering Tasks for the New Century – Japanese and U.S. perspectives*, https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/9624/engineering-tasks-for-the-new-century-japanese-and-us-perspectives.
[4] *Bachelor of Global Engineering*, https://www.centralesupelec.fr/en/bachelor-global-engineering.
Anghel Vasile Cernescu 