During the last quarter of 2020, Engineers Without Borders International and Engineers Without Borders organisations from Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, the Netherlands, the Philippines, UK and USA pulled together to influence change at the highest level of engineering governance: To push for the transformation of internationally agreed engineering competencies so that engineers deliver greater beneficial impact for people and the planet.
Together, we issued an open letter. We applauded the proposed updates to the international benchmark values for engineering graduate attributes and professional competencies hosted by the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and the International Engineering Alliance (IEA). The proposed updates recognised that engineers need to evolve in order to tackle 21st century challenges. But, we felt that a key component was still missing — that to address this century’s complex problems including climate change and delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals, engineers must also be able to reflect on and think critically about the role of engineering itself. We called for three core competencies to be universally incorporated:
- Critical thinking: Emphasis on critical thinking as a fundamental cornerstone of engineering competence; on critically analysing and critiquing the role of engineering, its relationship with humanity, and its impact on our past and potential futures.
- Ethical competence: Deeper comprehension of the ethical issues inherent in engineering due to the relationship between engineering, people and the planet, and greater focus on developing the skills necessary to navigate these complex issues.
- Holistic appreciation: Broader appreciation for the knowledge needed to make effective engineering judgements, including explicitly acknowledging the value of the social sciences in helping engineers understand the implications of their work.
Our input was warmly welcomed in helping to demonstrate support for the proposed changes, particularly as the Engineers Without Borders movement brings together a diverse, international group and many student and early career engineers concerned with the future of their profession. IEA and WFEO were able to secure support for their proposed changes and the benchmark values have now been updated.
We’re looking forward to exploring further opportunities to share our insight into how engineering can better benefit people and the planet.
Our open letter is available in five languages: English – French – Portuguese – Spanish – Swahili