Prepare together the Engineer of the Future

Today, the leading universities of science and technology united in CESAER, under the auspices of our Task Force Learning & Teaching, have released the white paper ’Engineer of the Future’, to advance our understanding of how universities of science and technology can provide future-proof engineering education to contribute to a world in constant evolution.

In this white paper, the authors, led by Luc Taerwe (Ghent University), reflect on the evolution of engineering education and present recommendations related to advanced engineering education in Europe. Throughout five chapters, the authors explore the new expectations for engineers, the impact of the green and digital transitions, including ongoing trends in the development of AI, the importance of interdisciplinarity and innovative teaching approaches, the need to foster a lifelong learning mindset, and recommendations for a curriculum that ensures a broader future-oriented perspective of the students.

The engineers of the future should be empowered to be active, trusted and inventive professionals who conceive, design, analyse, build, test and maintain devices, equipment, machines, structures and systems that serve the needs of society.

• The full paper can be read here (PDF).

A word from the lead author

“Engineers will play a vital role in how humanity deals with driving forces reshaping the world, and the engineers of the future must possess the skills to navigate a landscape marked by uncertainty and complexity. Together with the writers' team of the white paper, we aimed to outline our experiences in educating the engineers of the future and share our recommendations.”

Luc Taerwe, lead writer of the White Paper and former dean Faculty of Engineering and Architecture of Ghent University

What leading global scholars have said about the paper

"The CESAER white paper on “Engineer of the Future” is a call to action that should be required reading for thought leaders, policy creators, decision makers, university and departmental leaders, and all those institutions, societies and professional bodies that are driving interdisciplinary student-centered innovation in engineering education."

Amitava ‘Babi’ Mitra, Ph.D. Founding Executive Director, New Engineering Education Transformation (NEET) Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

"The white paper brings together the wisdom and research results of many experts, and is a very excellent guide, which will certainly play an important guiding role in the training of future engineers in European and even global universities. I sincerely wish the white paper success."

Jian Lin Professor of Tsinghua University, China Leader of the Engineering Education Discipline of Tsinghua University Executive Director of National Talent-Introduction Base for the Interdisciplinary Innovation of Engineering Education President of China National University Alliance for the Construction of Engineering Education Disciplines

“This is a well researched and insightful work that I’m sure will act as a catalyst for valuable discussion, setting a clear direction for evolution in engineering education."

Professor John Mitchell Co-Director, Centre for Engineering Education UCL Engineering, UK

Follow-up actions

• On 26 June 2024, Luc Taerwe wrote an editorial about this white paper.
• On 18 September 2024, Luc Taerwe lectured on that paper at Tongji University in China.
• On 27 November 2024, our Secretary General Mattias Björnmalm contributed key messages from this white paper at a Conference of Deans of French Schools of Engineering (CDEFI) seminar on “Which and how many engineers for tomorrow?”.

For more information and enquiries, please contact our Information & Communication Officer, Justine Moynat.