Professional Prerequisites for Entry-level Technical Positions
Date
2007-07-12Type of Work
application/pdfText
theses
Department
Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural CommunicationProgram
Intercultural Communication LanguageRights
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Subjects
Education, Technology (0710)Engineering, General (0537)
Education, Higher (0745)
engineering education
professional skills
intercultural competence
Abstract
Educators, industry representatives and government officials are engaged in an ongoing debate about how to best prepare U.S. science and engineering students for the global workforce. While there is consensus that professional prerequisites are important, there is less agreement about which professional prerequisites are most critical or the role of international education programs in develop professional prerequisites. This research study presents findings from a web survey of U.S. technical companies. Results include a prioritized list of professional prerequisites, data on how a candidate's previous international experience affects hiring decisions and data describing the working environment of U.S. technical professionals. Results of this research study can be applied to focus to the efforts of engineering educators, international educators and career services professionals to prepare technical students to compete and work as global scientists and engineers.