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Session 2422

The Design of a Certificate Course for Chief Engineers

J Robertson, Arizona State University, Mesa, AZ 85212, P Hruska, Honeywell, Phoenix 85072, AZ, W Charlton, Boeing, Mesa 85215, AZ, D Lowery, JACME2T, ASU, Mesa 85212, AZ, R Thomas, Raytheon Missile Systems, Tucson 85706, AZ.

Abstract The companies that participate in the Joint Arizona Consortium for Manufacturing and Engineering Education for Tomorrow (JACME2T) have expressed concern about the preparation process for future Chief Engineers and other technical leaders. There are two principal factors: the current generation is approaching retirement and the challenges of future technology demand an even greater combination of breadth and depth of understanding.

A series of short courses has been prepared to address some of the skills required by potential chief engineers. The courses can be taken individually or they can be combined into a non-academic certificate.

To formulate the certificate requirements, we followed the methodology used by the participating companies to design complex products. A detailed evaluation of the chief engineer job specification and skills led to an analysis of best practice and courses already available to JACME2T and the companies. The translation into specific course modules was undertaken by the authors and with additional contributions from academic and industry experts. The full certificate will be delivered in 2004 and it has potential to be extended as a component of a distance MS degree within the Arizona universities.

Introduction – the challenge High-technology companies face a quiet crisis of technical leadership. Their products are systems characterized by the technical complexity, global support requirements and massive connectivity of processes. While these demands increase, the supply of experienced technologists who could take on the chief engineer role is diminishing fast. Figure 1 shows a demographic from one company that is typical of the aerospace industry.

Proceedings of the 2004 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2004, American Society for Engineering Education

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Robertson, J. (2004, June), The Design Of A Certificate Course For Chief Engineers Paper presented at 2004 Annual Conference, Salt Lake City, Utah. 10.18260/1-2--12752