Opinion piece submitted by Nicole Locke GradIEAust, a member of Engineers Australia’s Young Engineers WA committee and a graduate environmental engineer.
Engineering is a constantly evolving profession that needs to be flexible to meet the needs of a dynamic society. As a young engineer, we are constantly reminded that our jobs will either change beyond recognition or no longer exist by the time we reach retirement.
To get an idea of how engineering has evolved over the last few decades, I asked a number of WA’s experienced engineers: “What has been the biggest change to the engineering profession since you began your career?
The most common answer to this question was ‘technology’.
As Brian Bell Chemicals Divisional Manager, David Slape puts it: “The first mass produced calculators came out in the early 70s and for $300 you’d get one that could add/subtract, but now even a phone can handle complex algorithms.”
Developments in technology have also allowed engineers to connect with each other more efficiently and quickly, as Engineers Australia’s WA Division President, James Westcott FIEAust CPEng NER experienced firsthand.
“The biggest change I have seen is globalisation”, Mr Westcott said.
“Enabled by technological developments, engineering work scopes can be moved around the world, at little cost, in a matter of seconds.”
Mr Westcott described the challenges this has created in maintaining professional engineering standards, as well as the certainty around the future job market for WA engineers in a global marketplace.
In WA we have seen significant changes to our economy with the end of the mining boom.
The biggest change for many engineers during this time has been the transition from planning major projects to working on actual LNG operations.
Just as importantly, the idea of what an engineer is has changed dramatically.
Water Corporation CEO, Sue Murphy said: “When I first started work, engineers were overwhelmingly middle aged Anglo-Saxon men!”
“These days I see teams that are made up of all kinds of people and I think this is essential for us to be able to tackle the huge issues we all face.”
Ms Murphy went on to discuss the shift in expectations on the profession.
“There has been a phenomenal change in our approach to safety,” she said.
“It used to be thought that doing something unsafe meant you were paid ‘danger money’.
“Now, we simply do not accept unsafe behaviours and we engineer out unsafe situations”.
Simply put, the engineering of 30 years ago is no longer the engineering of today.
But, how can the engineers of today ensure they stay relevant in this fast changing profession?
University of Western Australia’s Programme Chair for Environmental Engineering , Professor Anas Ghadouani believes that engineers of the future will need a new set of skills to allow them to both define and solve some of the biggest challenges facing humanity.
“All sectors will be in need of this new breed of engineer, who is defined not only by strong analytical skills, but by agility, adaptation, creativity, leadership and business sense”, Prof Ghadouani said.
To learn more about how engineering will continue to evolve and how to thrive in an ever changing environment, join the YEWA Summit on the Future of Engineering on Wednesday 28 June.
Image: iStock.