Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network – How can industry play their part in developing engineering students with skills for sustainability?

Jennifer Bradford (Siemens) and Kirsten Williamson (Petrus)

Siemens is launching the Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network based on feedback gathered from faculty and deans worldwide, and invite the SEFI network to get involved!

This new initiative, designed for engaged faculty worldwide, provides an opportunity to get insights, share ideas and feedback, and exchange on best practice with peers and industry on embedding sustainability in engineering education.

Inspired by inputs gathered from research with academic leaders and faculty members from around the world on their approaches to curriculum development and industry engagement, this initiative addresses the desire for stronger, more sustainable relationships with industry.

 “What I would love to do is a collaboration on eye level and have an industry partner working together with my students. Engaging and committing not only on a software, but committing people and resources.” – Faculty Focus Group Participant

 The purpose of the Siemens Skills for Sustainability Network is to foster a vibrant exchange of ideas between academia and industry about how to best embed the skills that tomorrow’s engineers need for addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into engineering curriculum.

 According to UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth, Jayathma Wickramanayake, “With the 2030 Agenda, Member States have committed to substantially increase the number of youth who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship…They recognized that without skilled and employable young people, our chances of achieving the Goals are greatly diminished.  It is time to take that commitment seriously”.

Jennifer Bradford, Business Strategy Manager at Siemens Digital Industries Software explains more…

“This program will support the Siemens Global Academic Partner Program by opening deep channels of communication with the educators that we serve as well as the commercial enterprises who ultimately hire the students trained by these educators – Siemens commercial customers, to ensure that future-facing skills are on the learning agenda.

Success will be measured by the participation of the Network’s members in events and on-going dialogue about how industry can best support educators in embedding these skills in their curriculum.”

The aim is to build an interactive and valuable community in which each member contributes as much as they take away. Contributions could be made by joining the dedicated group on the Siemens community, posting and sharing in group discussions. or engaging in at least one interactive online event during the year. In addition to the professional development and networking benefits this community brings, contributing members will receive a digital badge as recognition for their commitment to the network and gain access to useful reports and resources shared by Siemens.

REGISTER HERE to join the network and find out more about upcoming opportunities.

You can also GET IN TOUCH if you have any questions or would like more information.

Jennifer Bradford is Business Strategy Manager at Siemens Digital Industries Software, Global Academic Partner Program