As engineers have helped change the world, the nature of working in the engineering practice has evolved.

Associate Professor Enda Crossin from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand states, “There is a lot of hype around what the future might hold for the engineering profession, but surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of empirical evidence on how engineering has changed.”

It’s from this idea, that the BeLongEng project was launched. Supported by Engineers Australia, a peak-body partner for the project, the BeLongEng project seeks to provide the empirical evidence on how engineering is changing.

The longitudinal project will track the careers of thousands of engineers across Australia and New Zealand. Working on the project will be researchers from the University of Canterbury, The University of Auckland, The University of Melbourne, UTS, and QUT.

The project team are now calling for engineers to take part in the study.

“This will be the biggest study of its kind, anywhere in the world. We’ll be able to provide industry and engineering education providers with unique insights into what engineers do, how this changes over time, and factors that influence this change,” said Crossin.

“The first round of the surveys started in early 2022. We are planning to track these engineers over a long period of time by surveying participants every year or two. The individual journeys of engineers are what will shape the outcomes of this study, and every voice counts. I’d encourage all engineers to participate in the BeLongEng Project so that they can help shape the future of engineering.”

The evidence generated from the BeLongEng project will serve as a platform for policy change in engineering work and engineering education, to ensure that educational institutions and the workforce are responding to the changes in engineering.

To join the project as an inaugural participant, visit their website.