M. Frize and the Late A. McLean
Faculty of Engineering, University of New Brunswick
Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3
Proceedings of the A.S.E.E. Annual Conference (1994), Edmonton (Principal Author)
A survey was sent in December, 1992, to 650 engineering graduates of the University of New Brunswick, covering four graduation years: 1989 to 1992 (1). The objective was to study the pattern of employment while considering factors such as: the year of graduation; field of study, grade point average and gender. With a return rate of 27 percent, the sample contained 20 percent women, while they typically represented 15 to 18 percent of the graduates in the samples studied. Graduate students were removed from the sample for the analysis.
Although most variables remained similar in 1989 and 1990, the results of this survey allow to conclude that dramatic changes have occurred in the job market for engineers in the past two years. The proportion of graduates hired prior to graduation fell from 70 percent in 1989 to 40 percent in 1992. The proportion finding work before or within six months of graduation fell from 93 percent (in 1989-90) to 74 percent in 1991 and 68 percent in 1992. The unemployed group was 2 percent in the first two years, 14 percent in 1991 and 25 percent in 1992. The remainder found work within twelve months of graduation.
The change is especially evident concerning the size of organisation hiring the graduates. The proportion of respondents hired by small companies (less than 100 employees) rose from 24 percent in 1989 to 42 percent in 1991 and 39 percent in 1992. There was a corresponding decrease in the proportion of graduates hired by large organisations (greater than 500 employees), from 67 percent in 1989 to 45 percent in 1991 and 48 percent in 1992. The number of respondents hired by medium-sized companies (100 to 500 employees) remained similar at around 12 percent. The declining number of students hired prior to graduation seems to be directly related to the decline in jobs offered by large firms, providing interviews on the campus during the few months preceding graduation. The decline is also visible in terms of absolute numbers: large firms hired 16 graduates in the 1992 sample, compared to 30 in 1989.
Relating grade point average (GPA) to the period of job search, the results clearly point out that GPA is a significant factor in the case of hiring prior to graduation, by large firms, and for the unemployed group. GPA does not appear to be as sensitive a parameter when the job search period is extended to six months or when considering employment found in small firms. Of graduates hired by large firms, 73 percent had a GPA higher than 3.0; the proportion was 35 percent for small firms and 53 percent for medium-sized firms. (The maximum GPA at UNB is 4.3).
As for the type of employment secured by the graduates, the majority of jobs were engineering-related (92 percent). Most respondents (89 percent) were offered a permanent position in 1989. But this fell to 80 percent in 1990, 70 percent in 1991 and 73 percent in 1992; the remainder were offered a term appointment. The proportion of graduates hired locally (in the Atlantic provinces) remained stable over the four year period (60 percent).
An analysis of gender shows some similarities regarding academic performance (measured by the GPA), the period of job search and the proportion unemployed. Just over half of the graduates had a grade point average of 3.0 or higher (58 percent of the women and 56 percent of the men). In the highest GPA category (3.5 to 4.3), there were 31 percent women and 26 percent of men.
The major gender difference arose in the type of organisation hiring the graduates: 13 women (42 percent) and 20 men (17 percent) were hired by government, whereas industry hired 100 men (83 percent of the men) and 18 women (58 percent of the women). It is interesting to note that industry hired 18 percent women, which is close to their availability in the pool of graduates. The proportion of women in each sample was: 17 percent in 1989, 38 percent in 1990, 13 percent in 1991, and 14 percent in 1992; their proportion per field was: 27 percent in civil, 17 percent in electrical, 8 percent in mechanical, 22 percent in surveying, and 45 percent in chemical engineering. There were no women and nine men in the geological engineering sample.
The period of job search appears to be similar for both genders, where 81 percent of the women and 83 percent of the men found employment within six months of graduation; of these, 53 percent of the women and 56 percent of the men were employed prior to graduation. The unemployed group was 9 percent for women and 11 percent for men. The proportion with an engineering-related job was 94 percent for women and 91 percent for the men. Similarities also exist in the permanence of the position: 78 percent for women and 79 percent for men. As for graduates being hired in the Atlantic region, the proportion was slightly lower for women (53 percent) than for men (61 percent).
The size of organisation where the engineers were hired also differed by gender: 25 percent of the women and 35 percent of the men were hired by small firms (8 women and 43 men, in absolute numbers), whereas large firms hired 66 percent of the women and 54 percent of the men (67 men and 21 women, in absolute numbers). The remainder were hired by medium-sized firms.
To provide a baseline on whether companies have established employment equity and harassment policies, a few questions were added to the main survey. Most companies, even those with policies in place, do not seem to explain them to their staff. A large number of respondents did not know if these policies existed in their company; 70 percent of the women and 55 percent of the men said that an equity policy existed in their firm; 3 percent of the women and 18 percent of the men said that the firm did not have such a policy. Just under a third of the respondents did not know (27 percent).
While coding the information for analysis, it was possible to complete this missing information when the name of the firm was provided on the fax or the letterhead, as the company's policies could be checked by telephone. Results show that almost all of the women (87 percent) were hired by firms with equity policies, crown corporations and/or government; 58 percent of the men were also hired by this type of organisation.
In the overall sample, just over half of the organisations (56 percent) were found to have equity policies. By size of organisation, the proportion was 86 percent for large firms, 53 percent for medium firms and 30 percent for small firms.
Regarding policies against sexual harassment, 47 percent of respondents said their organisation had a policy, 14 percent said it did not, and the remainder (39 percent) did not know. Once again, it is evident that the majority of companies have not discussed harassment with their employees and many still fail to have such a policy.
Engineering faculties should examine regularly whether the curriculum reflects the needs of employers of engineers. As shown by the results of this survey, there is a major shift in the type of employer of engineers, from large firms, where the tasks of each department are specialised and separated, to a world of small firms where each employee must accomplish multiple tasks of great diversity. Even in large firms, many senior executives have indicated that, while technical skills are necessary, new engineering graduates are deficient in communication and interpersonal skills, teamwork and creative and intuitive thinking (1). This suggests that the current curriculum does not address all of the clients' needs. The Conference Board of Canada (2) developed an "Employability Skills Profile" which stresses exactly the qualities demanded by the new job market.
Other desirable qualities suggested by small firms (1) are: flexibility, being well organised and having initiative. Possessing skills on how to solve problems is more important than acquiring experience at solving specific problems. Time and project management skills are considered a real asset. Self-motivation and an entrepreneurial spirit have become qualities expected by employers, as the level of supervision of new engineers has become minimal in large and small firms alike, but this is even more true for the smaller firm.
Industry's viewpoint on desirable features in university graduates is clear, as expressed in some of the quotes below:
"Intelligence, initiative, interpersonal skills and integrity". David McCamus (while he was president of Xerox Canada).
"Graduates don't meet requirements which are, 'smart' intelligence (i.e. not high grades but practical, broad curriculum, communication skills, ability to think on feet, team member, team leader, involvement in extracurricular activities)." Oliver Boileau, President Northrup Corporation.
"Tolerance of ambiguity, critical thinking ability, communication skills, cross-cultural awareness, cross discipline, team working." Ron Powell, Director TQM, Martin Marietta.
It is clear that the changing market for engineers, from larger to smaller firms, and the expectations of employers on desirable skills of our graduates should stimulate Faculties of Engineering to take a hard look at their current academic program and assess whether it meets the new demands. However, further research is needed to identify how to integrate these new skills into a curriculum that is already full. Perhaps one way would consist in providing each individual existing course with a component of teamwork, class presentation and a link to societal realities and relevance. One method that allows to incorporate all these features is the cooperative learning (and teaching) style.
Engineering programs have met the needs of large employers very well in the past. However, even those needs are changing today, as large employers are sub-contracting more and more of their work to smaller firms. They also seem to increasingly replace permanent positions with term appointments. Our Engineering schools created excellent employee engineers in the past. We must now create employer engineers in the future. Our economic future and prosperity depend on it as well as the development of the talents and skills of our engineers.
1. Frize, M., Seheult, D., McLean, A., Roy, J. (1993) "Engineering: Changing Market, Changing Skills" . Panel at the Association of Professional Engineers of New Brunswick's Annual Meeting, February; and APENB Bulletin, June.
2. "Employability Skills Profile: The Critical Skills Required of the Canadian Workforce". The Conference Board of Canada, 255 Smyth Road, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M7.