In a response to the current Covid-19 pandemic, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is offering virtual training solutions that engineers can access from their homes. These training courses are flexible, applicable and are now available at significantly reduced prices. ASME (founded in 1880) is today a global, not-for-profit, professional organisation, particularly renowned for its internationally-applied codes and standards.

This ASME initiative follows a survey of some 3 000 engineers that it carried out recently. This revealed that 80% of those surveyed believed that engineering operations would change because of the pandemic and that there would be an overall decrease in business. This would mean an acceleration in the rate of change in an already changing sector.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on lives and livelihoods,” points out ASME executive director and CEO Tom Costabile. “The engineering work landscape has been rapidly evolving, and the pandemic has accelerated and changed the landscape in ways we are only beginning to understand. Engineers are applying technologies including artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing to help respond to the public health crisis, and also to adapt processes in many industrial sectors and transform supply chains for the future.”

But there are problems in the sector. “A significant number of engineers graduate with powerful textbook knowledge of fundamentals and theory, but lack the skills needed to apply that knowledge in their day-to-day work,” highlights ASME director of learning and development Arin Ceglia. “Even experienced engineers might become siloed and not have the ability and awareness to keep pace with the rapidly evolving technical field.”

As a result of these factors, a worrying skills gap has developed in the sector, that is concerning for both leaders of industry and educators. A 2018 study by Deloitte (before the pandemic) suggested that, between 2018 and 2028, 2.4-million jobs would not be filled, resulting in an economic impact of $2.5-trillion, in the US alone.

“Addressing this skills gap is critical, and it informs how those of us working in engineering learning and development approach everything from course design to education technology,” she affirms. Many of ASME’s training courses are based on applying the organisation’s codes and standards. These cover such things as boilers and pressure vessels, piping and pipelines, gas turbines, and design and materials. But the training courses also cover topics like advanced engineering technology (including 3D printing), cell manufacturing and industrial automation.