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ENGINEERING IN AN INCREASINGLY COMPLEX SOCIETY 128 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The Resilience of the Engineering Manpower System Conclusions 1. Examination of previous crises in the engineering manpower system suggests that it has responded adequately and that calls for a radical expansion or reconstruction of existing arrangements for educating engineers cannot be justified by appeals to past experience. 2. Engineers have in the aggregate adapted rapidly and successfully to sudden changes in the demand for particular engineering specialties. Their ability to do so is directly dependent upon their mastery of the fundamentals of design and their knowledge of the underlying mathematics and science. Recommendations 1. The technical/scientific content of the undergraduate engineering curriculum should emphasize science, mathematics, and engineering design. Technical courses focusing on problems associated with particular engineering specialties should occupy a secondary position in all engineering curricula. 2. When introducing new technologies that render obsolete the knowledge and skills of engineers already employed, companies have an obligation to provide these engineers with educational opportunities that will enable them to remain productive. The continuing education programs offered by many colleges and universities may be helpful in this regard. The Conceptualization and Presentation of Engineering Conclusions 1. The ways in which engineering is presented to and understood by the general public is a matter of vital concern to engineers. 2. The nature of engineering can only be understood in a comprehensive manner if its many links to other sectors of society are described and analyzed in a detailed and careful way.
