Headhunters Seek a New Breed of Engineer

Demand for mechanical engineers is far outstripping supply, according to the London‐based headhunters, Eurosurvey, who report that this generally depressed market is now enjoying significant growth in some sectors. With economists forecasting a 1.5 per cent growth in the expansion of mechanical engineering in the UK in the immediate future, emphasis will be on “design, development, quality and reliability assessment and simulation”; the engineers who will be head‐hunted will have skills in robotics, electronics, CAD‐CAM and CAD‐MAT. Many engineering projects fail due to a suitably integrated approach to project management, and the value of the engineers of the future will depend on their financial and management expertise as much as their engineering abilities. A new MSc in project management, begun in 1985 in a joint course run by Henley Management College and Brunei University, is the closest thing to a general technical education currently available. Organisations such as GIM, Lucas Industries and Marks and Spencer are actively supporting new moves to bring disciplined logic and improved training and management/career development to project management.