International engineering jobs: Opportunities and challenges

The great age of engineering is now. This message was central to UNESCO’s first-ever report on the role of engineering in development, released in October – less than a month after the Millennium Development Goals summit in New York. Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned MDG advocate, is among those who share the belief that infrastructure is central to the achievement of the eight goals. At an MDG summit side event he hosted Sept. 21, the Columbia University professor noted that infrastructure – such as electricity, transport and information and communication technology – has lasting effects on economic growth, water and sanitation systems, as well as maternal and child health. The growing importance of infrastructure in attaining the MDGs has, in effect, increased the profile of engineers and, subsequently, the range of jobs for these professionals in international development. But the expert pool is not yet sufficient to meet the demand for engineering services in aid work. Development jobs for engineers The Devex website lists more than 5,000 companies and NGOs as involved in infrastructure and engineering work around the globe, and more than 15,000 projects that are either open or upcoming. More than 500 job vacancies focus on this work. Many organizations are offering consulting assignments to mid- and senior-level engineers with advanced degrees who can fill project management and team lead positions in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Some positions advertised frequently as part of international engineering projects include project managers, highway engineers, materials or pavement engineers, civil or structural engineers, information and communication technology experts or managers, electronics engineers and telecommunications officers. Those with less experience but are passionate about helping poor communities can turn to nonprofits such as Engineering Without Borders to gain exposure in development projects. EWB has 17 chapters worldwide that offer volunteering opportunities to fresh engineering graduates. A shortage of qualified engineers According to Joshua Sperling, an urban planner and civil engineer who volunteers for EWB, engineers have a critical role to play in responding to pressing global challenges. “There’s a lot of inequity issues that we’re dealing with, and I’d say it’s not just engineers,” he told Devex. “I think engineers, doctors, health professionals, economists all need to come together to begin working towards solutions that are effective now, in the midterm, and also in the long term.” Dawie Botha, a civil engineer and executive director and head of communications and outreach of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering, said the worldwide shortage of engineering skills has skewed the labor marketplace, causing an exodus of a huge number of professionals from their African homelands that educated and trained them to industrialized nations. “Indeed, a vicious circle has developed, as weakened local engineering capacity ultimately leads to the need to import skills for projects, and few international projects pay any attention to skills transfer to locals,” he wrote in an essay for the UNESCO report. Miguel Roca, project lead of a Millennium Challenge Corp.-funded project in El Salvador, shares Botha’s observation. Too often, internationally funded engineering projects do not include a “systematic effort” to build capacity, he told Devex. “I think there should be more systematic effort,” Roca said. “Make it part of the terms of reference! Say, ‘You have to work out a knowledge transfer program and measure it in some way’ or else the contractor won’t do it.” Another challenge for the engineering industry in the developing world: The number of students enrolling in engineering courses is shrinking. In an interview published by IPS in December, Tony Marjoram, editor of the UNESCO report and senior program specialist at the agency’s Division of Basic and Engineering Sciences, ascribed the trend to the perception that the subject is boring, courses entail hard work, jobs are badly paid in view of responsibilities involved, and engineering has adverse effects on the environment. The United Nations estimates that 2.5 million new engineers and technicians in sub-Saharan Africa alone are needed to achieve the MDG of improved access to clean water and sanitation. A shortage of engineers, therefore, could mean huge setbacks in the global fight against poverty. Wanted: More women engineers To increase the pool of engineering experts, UNESCO suggests tapping new labor markets, especially women. The big challenge for the industry, according to one expert, is to tear down the stereotypes that prevent women from pursuing an engineering career. “Part of the problem is that the male engineer is still very much seen as the norm. This means that many clever young women do not even consider a career in engineering. It also means that being a woman engineer marks you out as unusual, as women engineers are constantly reminded by the reactions of others,” Wendy Faulkner, a science and technology professor at the University of Edinburgh, wrote in her essay for the UNESCO report. “Another part of the problem is the classic stereotype of the engineer, of a man who is brilliant at, and passionate about, technology but not so good at interacting with people. This image not only says ‘technology is for men’, it also says being ‘into technology’ means not being ‘into people’. As women are stereotypically ‘into people’, the image carries the implicit message that women engineers are not ‘real women’, or perhaps not ‘real engineers’!” A co-contributor, Monique Frize, suggested that hiring more women faculty is key to luring more female students into engineering graduate programs. She also recommended that companies proactively seek women applicants, ensure that the hiring committee is sensitized to appropriate interview questions, and offer networking and women-to-women mentoring opportunities. Frize, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s School of Information Technology and Engineering, noted: “Until we get rid of stereotypes about people’s aptitudes and behaviours, it will be impossible to create an atmosphere of respect and trust. The predominantly male view is not the only way to create new knowledge; the range of perspective women can bring will undoubtedly be a benefit.” Tarra Quismundo contributed reporting. 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