Companies Creating Home-Grown Engineers?
Mar 6, 2008
There's an interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal about the lengths some companies are going to here in the United States to ensure that they have an ample supply of engineering talent to hire in coming years. In addition to supporting broader educational programs, some companies like Intel and Lockheed Martin have been funding classroom training and curricula in school districts where they have facilities in hopes that it will help them develop "home-grown" engineers.
In a 2007 survey of over 270,000 college freshmen, only 7.5 percent of students said they planned to major in engineering. According to the Journal, that's the lowest level since the 1970s and it's been declining for the last several years (see yesterday's post about computer science majors).
Which is one reason a nonprofit called Project Lead The Way (PLTW) that's featured in the article has been able to attract corporate donations to help supports its mission of preparing junior high and high school students to succeed in science and engineering. PLTW has been offering specialized courses in schools around the country for the last decade and, according to a 2007 report on the program's effectiveness, PLTW students are much more likely to major in engineering or technology in college than other students.
The article does acknowledge the criticism that corporate donors may be placing their own hiring priorities ahead of broader educational goals. Weigh that against the needs of cash-strapped school districts, and the opportunities programs like PLTW offer, and it begs the question: how many public schools would be offering courses in aerospace engineering or robotics without such support?
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