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Session 1160

European Programs of Co-operation in Engineering Education

Ir. Frank J.F.M. Witteveen Hogeschool Enschede, College for Electrical Engineering

Abstract In connection with the position and size of the Netherlands, it is important that students obtain a broad orientation within Europe. Because of the absence of sufficient resources, the Netherlands are dependent on the export of knowledge and not of products to remain a positive economy. Therefore our educational institute is practical y oriented. An important aspect for prospective employers is to work with basic tools in a creative and innovative way, and solve more complicated problems in a systematic and conceptual way. Life and impact on the society and environment is also important. Finally an important point are the communica-tive skills of the prospective engineer, who has to communicate with specialists from different disciplines and has to be able to sale the final product to interested costumers. In conclusion, the benefits for all partners, students, universities and business world, are presented.

Introduct ion The Netherlands is a small country (16,000 square miles) which is situated on the edge of the continent of Europe. It has important seaports (Amsterdam and Rotterdam), which constitute the gateway to Europe, certainly also in view of the developments in Eastern Europe. The Netherlands is densely populated (1,060 inhabitants per square mile) and has few resources of its own. The main part of the national income depends on trade, especially international (transit) trade. Inevitably, The Netherlands therefore is oriented towards the world market, and towards the European market in particular. The majority of young people in The Netherlands study at a high level, the size of the national Education budget for this type of education and the private contribution which is still low prove that the Netherlands seriously deals with investing in a high-quality future, being a part of a united Europe. The Netherlands has about 100 universities, which means that there is one university to every 170,000 inhabitants. In total, 850,000 students go to university, amounting to an average of 8,500 students per university, which means a higher education ratio of 5 % of the total population of The Netherlands. For higher education this implies that, apart from the usual components, foreign languages should remain heavily stressed. On average, people in The Netherlands learned three languages in secondary education, thereby facilitating a broad orientation towards Europe. For university education, this implies the need to keep up the knowledge of languages. Engineering students are no exception to this rule. Since The Netherlands is small, these graduates too should be able to find work all over Europe. Whether it concerns working abroad for a foreign company or working abroad for a Dutch company, international orientation is a necessity and the knowledge of languages is an essential part of this. In the engineering curriculum, time is allocated

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Witteveen, I. F. J. (1996, June), European Programs Of Co Operation In Engineering Education Paper presented at 1996 Annual Conference, Washington, District of Columbia. 10.18260/1-2--6040