Case studies in engineering training and professional education

This project springs from a discussion among members of history of technology seminar at the University of Bath. It reflects a widespread apprehension that all is not well with our national training programmes for engineers and other professional groups. British practice has traditionally paid particular attention to the skills that can be acquired by performing tasks under the guidance of established experts. However, it is now generally recognised that such an apprenticeship system is not adequate to meet the modern demands for highly specialised technical skills, which, moreover, are constantly changing in response to new knowledge. It has become necessary to rely on tuition in universities and specialist technical institutions, although this requires supplementation by personal application to reading, field-work, model-making and technical drawing. The resulting amalgam of acquired and taught crafts with a high level of personal commitment is what we have come to expect of our experts. While recognising that it is not possible to generalise precisely from a small number of case studies, these studies nevertheless attempt to assess the value of different elements in our professional training through a comparison of four cases. The emphasis is on engineering because this represents the background of most members of the group, and also because engineering training procedures have been the subject of particular recent anxiety. But other experiences provide a wider context in which the strengths and weaknesses of engineering education and training can be regarded.