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In June 1954 a small mission, comprising T.B.Worth,
A.M.I.E.E., M.I.Prod.E., F.R.S.A., Principal Senior Lecturer in
Production Engineering and Assistant Head of the Department of Mechanical
and Production Engineering at Birmingham College of Technology,
K.J.Shone, M.A. (Cantab),A.M.I.Mech.E., M.I.Ear.E., M.E.I.C., Head of
Department of Industrial Administration, Royal Technical College, Glasgow,
and the author, visited the United States of America to "observe and gain
experience of American methods of training in Industrial Engineering and
Management both in universities and industrial plants". Subsequently, in
September, D.M,Williams, Ph.D., B.Sc., (H.M.I.) joined the mission, which
returned in November 1954.
Each member investigated different aspects and separate reports are being
presented. This report deals mainly with education in Industrial Engineering.
Other Sections, dealing with education in Management, Industrial Engineering
and Management in Industry, Research and Consultancy will be presented
subsequently by the author.
Education in Industrial Engineering in the U.S.A. laid emphasis on the need
for sound education in the bagic and engineering sciences prior to the
study of Industrial Engineering subjects. Considerable attention was paid
to the economic aspects of industry and subjects such as Engineering
Economic Analysis were prominent. Awareness of the impact of new developments
in the industrial engineering field was also evident and curricula
were being revised to introduce subjects such as Electronic Theory into
the electrical programme, and the application of Operations Research
techniques'to the mathematics programme.
The value of formal education in Industrial Engineering was acknowledged by
most industrialists, who were absorbing I.E. graduates at a rate exceeding
1500 per annum.- In 1954 there were approximately 8,000 students enrolled
in. I.E. courses. A comparison of equivalent courses in Great Britain
showed that less than 50 students were enrolled. The comparison also
revealed the inadequacy of the Higher National Certificate courses in
Production Engineering, and a strong plea is made for more facilities for
students to take Higher National Diploma courses in Production Engineering. |
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