More Quotes of Interest

Fears Over Dearth of Engineers in Europe. By Richard Milne, Financial Times

''Europe needs to take urgent action on skills and education to encourage young people to become engineers or risk losing out to India and China as a manufacturing power, according to the continent's leading industrialists. Chief executives and chairmen from 50 of Europe's biggest companies from Royal Dutch Shell and Siemens to Nokia and Nestle list the growing skills shortage as one of their biggest long-term concerns if the continent wants to boost its competitiveness, according to their chairman, Leif Johansson. He added, 'We have too few young people all in all, and too few young people going into engineering. We are beginning to see real competition coming from India and China in, for example, highly-qualified engineers.' Many European countries, led by Germany, are suffering from acute shortages of engineers as fewer and fewer young people enroll in technical studies. Germany alone lacks 30,000 engineers currently while China trains 400,000 each year.''

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/ce492d4a-7cc2-11df-8b74-00144feabdc0.html

'..the shortage of engineers is a global problem. Some 4,000 engineers schools world-wide graduate 1 million engineers a year. The trouble is, as Hulas H. King, director of global community relations at Siemens PlM, points out, annual demand is for 3 million. There's also no doubt, says Bruno Andre Laporte, manager of the World Bank's Knowledge & Human Development group, that engineering is a pillar of the global, knowledge-based economy.'

Grose, Thomas K. 'Preparing Engineers for the World Market.' Prism Summer 2008: 57-58.

Engineering jobs tough to fill, Manpower finds (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

'A new survey by Milwaukee-based Manpower Inc. says engineering jobs are the toughest to fill in the United States. While talk has slowed in the U.S. about the pending talent shortage, it is becoming more clear that there is a talent disconnect,' said Melanie Holmes, vice president, world of work solutions for Manpower North America. 'Our workforce needs to be more open to retraining and upskilling for jobs that are in demand. The U.S. findings are part of a Manpower global study in January that surveyed more than 39,000 employers across 33 countries and territories. Positions in the skilled trades, sales, technical work and engineering remain the most difficult for employers to fill globally.'

http://www.jsonline.com/business/46358752.html

Slowing The Exodus Of Skilled Foreigners (Investor's Business Daily)

'Foreign students receive about 60% of all engineering doctorates awarded each year, according to the National Science Foundation. They receive more than half of doctorates awarded in math, computer sciences, physics and economics. Using 16 indicators to assess global competitiveness, the ITIF report says the U.S. has made the least progress on improving international competitiveness and innovation over the past decade, of the 40 nations and regions it surveyed. China and Singapore rated first and second in showing the most improvement. A study issued last month by the Kauffman Foundation, which Wadhwa conducted, highlighted another unsettling trend. It says very few of the foreign students currently studying in institutions of higher learning or who had graduated by the end of 2008 want to stay in the U.S. permanently.'

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=476353&Ntt=exodus+of+skilled+foreigners

The Hardest Jobs to Fill in America (Forbes)

'For the second year in a row, engineer is the hardest job to fill in America. Why are engineers so hard to find? 'We have whole generations of people loving liberal arts, not going into science and math,' says Larry Jacobson, executive director of the National Society of Professional Engineers. Jacobson anticipates a shortage of engineers into the foreseeable future. There are several reasons. First, the federal stimulus program is hastening the rebuilding of America's highways, bridges and tunnels, and the refitting of buildings to be more sustainable, which is making the demand for engineers soar. Also, the demand for new sustainable energy sources such as wind farms is increasing too. Meanwhile, the profession's most experienced workers are retiring in droves.'

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/107149/the-hardest-jobs-to-fill-in-america?mod=career-leadership.

Innovation Waning, U.S. Leaders Worry. By Brian Deagon, INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

'Many technology industry leaders are worried that the United States is losing its innovative edge and that companies are focusing on short-term gains while sacrificing long-term technological dominance. 'The trend lines show that we are not maintaining the kind of coordinated support behind innovation that we need to,' says venture capitalist Pascal Levensohn. 'Innovation and entrepreneurship, the crucial growth engines of the U.S. economy, are at risk of stalling out.' Levensohn says that the U.S. is in danger of losing its technological edge unless leaders enact new approaches to pursuing innovation.'

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=472786&Ntt=pascal+levensohn

Why the U.S. Is Losing Foreign Graduates. By Moira Herbst

'Foreign students who graduate from U.S. universities with degrees in science and engineering are increasingly leaving the U.S. to pursue job opportunities in their home countries, according to a report released on Mar. 19. The report, called 'Losing the World's Best and Brightest,' warns that 'the departure of these foreign nationals could represent a significant loss for the U.S. science and engineering workforce, where these immigrants have played increasingly larger roles over the past three decades.'

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2009/tc20090318_162454.htm

Survey: Half of Americans See Another Country Emerging as World's Technological Leader. By Richard Merritt

'Half of all Americans expect another country to emerge this century as the world's leader in addressing technological challenges that range from the economy to global warming, according to a survey of U.S. public opinion released Tuesday by Duke University. Although only 34 percent of Americans gave themselves a grade of A or B for understanding 'the world of engineers and what they do,' 72 percent nonetheless expect the technological advancements of the 21st century to surpass those of the previous century. However, only 49 percent predict the United States will lead the way in producing these advances, according to the survey of 808 adults carried out Jan. 22-25 by Hart Research Associates.'

http://news.duke.edu/2009/03/hart_survey.html

Pentagon fears technology edge may be eroding. By Bryan Bender

'The Pentagon fears a severe shortage of scientists and engineers at government laboratories could erode the military's technological edge in developing weapons and other projects in coming years, spawning a hiring boom at military research laboratories and an expansion of scholarships, advertising campaigns, and other ways to recruit a new generation of researchers. An internal study concluded that the Air Force, the military's most technology-reliant branch, could be especially hit hard by the widening gap between the number of qualified college graduates in science, engineering, and math and the growing national demand for such skills, according to defense officials.'

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles
/2009/06/13/pentagon_fears_technology_edge_may_be_eroding/

In Innovation, U.S. Said to Be Losing Competitive Edge. By Steve Lohr

'The competitive edge of the United States economy has eroded sharply over the last decade, according to a new study by a nonpartisan research group. The report by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation found that the United States ranked sixth among 40 countries and regions, based on 16 indicators of innovation and competitiveness. They included venture capital investment, scientific researchers, spending on research and educational achievement. But the American economy placed last in terms of progress made over the last decade. 'The trend is very troubling,' said Robert D. Atkinson, president of the foundation.'

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/technology/25innovate.html

U.S. LAGS GLOBALLY IN ROBOTICS DEVELOPMENT.

'Robotics have the potential within the next decade to become as prevalent as computers in daily American life, but the country lags behind others worldwide in recognizing the importance of this technology. In a report released today, titled 'National Robotics Technology Roadmap', (link forthcoming) a group of 140 experts from industry, federal laboratories, and leading academic institutions assert the United States lags behind other countries in its ability to compete economically unless more investment is made in this technology.'

http://www.cra.org/govaffairs/blog/