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Results below are from employers in these industries: Engineering

They are talking about these topics: Current Continuing Education, Educational Partnerships, Experience & Credentials, General Skills, Industry Trends, Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education, Occupation-Specific Skills, Workforce Trends & Challenges

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Industry
Engineering

Topic
Current Continuing Education
Educational Partnerships
Experience & Credentials
General Skills
Industry Trends
Needs & Challenges in Continuing Education
Occupation-Specific Skills
Workforce Trends & Challenges

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Industry	Topic	Issue	What did employers say?
Engineering	Current Continuing Education	Most employers provide incumbents with training on both technical and soft skills. Technical training topics include new technology, new product development and efficiency, and new software.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Current Continuing Education	Soft skills training topics include project management, leadership training, business processes, problem-solving, and client relations.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Current Continuing Education	Many companies have developed their own incumbent training programs. Others use suppliers, either bringing them in-house or sending employees off-site. (Off-site training is considered more cost-effective.) Those employers that have used higher education for incumbent training mentioned working with the University of St. Thomas and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Many employers say they have attempted to connect to universities to recruit graduates, but not all have been successful in creating ongoing relationships with the schools. Those who have been able to connect with local colleges in a meaningful way typically have a large pool of candidates from which to choose (although mechanical, electrical, and mid-level openings remain challenging to fill). One employer suggested connecting with higher education by reaching out to alumni.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Industry leaders state it is important for businesses and higher education to create K-12 partnerships, which ensure children are educated about the engineering industry and engineering careers. Many employers are already participating in K-12 outreach; this includes working with the program Project Lead the Way, offering classroom presentations, and creating job-shadowing opportunities.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Employers would like to find ways to strengthen connections between higher education faculty and industry representatives. Suggestions include bringing faculty in to businesses for training as well as recruiting faculty from within the industry.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Employers speak of the internship programs they are currently involved in and the importance of new hires having internship experience.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Some employers are already partnering with educational institutions through advisory boards and committees. They emphasize the importance of continuing and expanding this type of communication, and they suggest that higher education representatives make on-site visits to businesses.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Educational Partnerships	Employers spoke of various other partnerships in which they are currently involved. These include the Iron Range Engineering Program and the Northeast Project.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Experience & Credentials	Many employers, particularly those in the Northwest and Central economic planning regions, speak of how rural locations affect hiring practices. Most say they prefer to hire locally because they believe local workers will stay longer. Many rural employers say it is difficult to recruit the talent they need from within their own region. Additionally, it is often difficult for them to compete with engineering salaries in the Twin Cities.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Experience & Credentials	Internships and other forms of practical experience are highly sought after in new hires.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Experience & Credentials	Employers tend to prefer engineers who have worked in the industry before pursuing an advanced degree, and many companies will selectively reimburse employees to pursue more education.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Employers speak of the ideal candidate as having a positive attitude, possessing professional values, expressing an interest in how things work and being self-motivated to learn new skills.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Employers emphasize the need for candidates with strong technical skills as well as strong soft skills, particularly effective interpersonal communication skills.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Employers emphasize that consultation skills are essential for engineers. Engineers must be able to build relationships with clients. This includes listening and communicating their ideas in ways that establish rapport and facilitate agreed-upon solutions. These skills are not necessarily lacking, but employers look for these skills in strong candidates.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Employers find that many new hires do not understand what it means to be a professional in terms of accountability and work schedule (such as a willingness to work nights and weekends).	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Employers look for new hires who possess strong communication skills, both written and verbal. These skills are often lacking. Some employers attribute this to younger generations having less experience with face-to-face communication.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	General Skills	Entry-level engineering positions often require strong leadership and project management skills; some employers report spending a significant amount of time training new hires in these skills. They feel that capstone projects and additional group-focused coursework would help build these skills.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Industry Trends	The industry is witnessing growth, particularly for "green services" and customer-requested customization products e.g. smaller and flexible packaging.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Industry Trends	Another trend is the introduction of more complex drafting software. This development changes the role of engineers and cloud computing.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Industry Trends	There is movement away from mechanical and towards electronic controls.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Industry Trends	The industry is experiencing a trend toward cost savings and efficiency through automation and other means. Additionally, there is movement from mechanical controls toward electronic controls.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Industry Trends	Many engineering firms are experiencing growth in their work with international companies; this increases their need for employees with cultural and language skills.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Occupation-Specific Skills	With more firms doing international work, candidates with international experiences are an asset. This includes travel experiences, fluency in other languages, and cultural sensitivity.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Occupation-Specific Skills	Employers in the automated packaging industry would like candidates who have experience with PLC (programmable logic control) and automated packaging.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Occupation-Specific Skills	Some employers say that if students are exposed to CAD and 3D modeling software, such as Solidworks or ProE, then the employer can provide additional training in specific programs that their organization uses. Other employers find that students do not have necessary training in AutoCad and computer science.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	Perhaps more than other industries, employers in the engineering industry are having difficulty filling mid-level to senior-level positions. Several mention difficulty finding candidates with three to five years of experience. This may be a result of the recession. Students who graduated during the recession may not have been hired immediately and therefore have not had the opportunity to gain that experience.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	Many incumbents are reaching retirement age without a sufficient replacement workforce.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	Many employers face difficulty finding high-quality, entry-level applicants. This is especially true for mechanical and electrical engineering positions.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	Employers would like to see more mechanical engineers with hands-on experience in facilities and with production equipment and in specific industries.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	The Northeast economic planning region focused on the unique engineering needs of the mining industry.	Read what employers said about this issue
Engineering	Workforce Trends & Challenges	Several employers are pleased with entry-level candidates and feel they are well-prepared.	Read what employers said about this issue

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