Engineering a career

Off-highway companies are challenged not only by the ever-changing technology landscape, but also by finding the engineering talent to help them succeed in it.

To enhance economic productivity and improve the quality of life worldwide, engineering education in the U.S. must anticipate and adapt to the dramatic changes in the engineering profession expected in the coming decades, stated a report titled The Engineer of 2020: Visions of Engineering in the New Century, released last year by a National Academy of Engineering committee.

Though the report speaks generally to all engineering disciplines, its comments can be applied directly to the heavy-duty and off-highway engineering communities. For example, in a global environment where various nations, industries, and companies are more interdependent, engineers should be educated to develop sustainable technology and be prepared to communicate ideas to multiple stakeholders, including government, private industry, and the public, the committee said.