Planning for the future

Employers and academia are teaming to ensure that there are enough engineers with the right combination of skills to step in and succeed in the workplace for years to come.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2002-2003 Edition, employment of aerospace engineers is expected to increase 10-20% through 2010. The handbook noted that an expected increase in defense spending in military aircraft, missiles, and other aerospace systems may contribute to this heightened demand for engineers, as will “the need to accommodate increasing passenger traffic [on civilian aircraft] and to replace much of the present fleet with quieter and more fuel-efficient aircraft.”

The good news for industry employers is that it appears there will be more engineering talent available to fulfill this demand. According to Engineering Trends, an e-commerce consulting firm that specializes in engineering education, aeronautical engineering has shown “significant” relative share growth in recent years as the total number of undergraduate degrees awarded has been steadily increasing (see graph). And while the number of graduate degrees in aeronautical engineering has been declining slightly, that trend is likely to change in the near future with the influx of undergraduate students, notes the company.