Attractiveness

The necessity of a sufficient supply of appropriately qualified scientists and engineers – to ensure Europe’s economic and innovation competitiveness – is widely recognized. It is also recognized that the current number of graduating students is insufficient to meet this demand. This Special Interest Group aims to serve as a dynamic platform, providing space for students, educators, researchers, industry professionals, and other interested parties to share ideas, strategies, best practices, and research results to enhance the attractiveness of engineering (education). The attractiveness of engineering (education) encompasses many aspects (e.g. pre-university factors, engineering education curriculum, study path and quality, and post-graduation factors) and therefore requires a multifaceted approach that seeks to make engineering education more appealing, accessible, and effective. The SIG, therefore, aims to work closely together with all involved parties and with related SIGs, including ‘curriculum development’ and ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’.

Objectives (to be updated after the SIG meeting at the 2023 SEFI annual conference)

• Build a community that can:
  • identify factors and key players related to attractiveness of engineering (education);
  • collaborate with these key players and amplify practices that tap into these factors to enhance engineering (education) attractiveness;
  • keep up with current trends in the field and promote research on attractiveness of engineering (education);
  • facilitate meetings and workshops on the topic;
  • create opportunities, such as webinars and events, to share insights and best practices.
• Coordinate with other special interest groups and set-up inter-SIG collaborations

Potential activities (to be updated after the SIG meeting at the 2023 SEFI annual conference)

The SIG on attractiveness of engineering (education)

• organizes during the SEFI conference an annual meeting to establish a community of practice and to connect members and non-members to jointly work together on practices, research and publications;
• organizes a themed workshop at the SEFI Annual Conference;
• next to the real-life SIG meetings, provides an online platform for those interested in the topic to share good practices.

SIG membership

Any SEFI member or any person associated with an institutional or corporate SEFI member may join the SIG by sending an e-mail to the chair person. Participation in the group is open to those interested in enhancing the attractiveness of engineering education to potential, enrolled, and graduating students. They include students, educators, researchers, industry professionals, and others involved in initiatives to enhance the attractiveness of engineering education.