Engineering continues to be a high-demand occupation even in the ongoing tough economy. CNN recently reported that engineering majors earn more money than any other major, post graduation. As well, engineering dominated the "Best Undergrad College Degrees by Salary" list published by website payscale.com, taking up most of the Top 20 job positions.
In 2011, Forbes reported, that engineering was the third most difficult job to fill in the United States, according to the staffing firm Manpower. On a global basis, engineering ranked fourth among the 10 most difficult jobs companies have filling. “As employers trimmed their workforce levels during the recession, those who remained took on multiple job roles,” said Melanie Holmes, a vice president at Manpower, told Forbes. “As a result, their skills expanded and advanced. Now employers are more specific and sophisticated when it comes to hiring new talent, and they want people who can fill multiple roles and have current skills. They’re willing to wait it out until they find the person with the right hard and soft skills.”
A recent report by the National Science Board on science and engineering said the United States remained the world leader, but other countries were gaining ground. Spending on research and development grew between 5 and 6 percent annually for 2007 (the most recent year for which data was available) but spending in India, South Korea and Taiwan grew as much as 10 percent. In China, spending averaged more than 20 percent.
The Virginia Tech College of Engineering is leading the effort to train the right engineers for the right jobs, and keep the United States at the forefront of science and engineering. According to the December 2010 issue of ASEE’s Prism, our Mining and Minerals Engineering Department graduated the most number of bachelor's degrees in the country with 49. As well, Our Robotics and Mechanisms Laboratory (RoMeLa) dominated the RoboCup 2011 soccer competition — winning the grand prix Louis Vuitton Humanoid Cup, and taking first in the Adult-Size Robot and Kid-Sized Robot divisions — in July 2011. Winning the cup was a first for the United States, besting such nations as Japan and Germany, who repeatedly have won the competition in past years.
For information about supporting the Signature Engineering Building contact Erin Edwards at (540) 231-4066 or eedwards@vt.edu.
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