act internationally, strongly and urgently.” And as Hilary
Benn, former Secretary of State for International Develop-
ment states “The truth is if we don’t do something about
climate change, aid from rich countries will look pitiful by
comparison with the consequences and the costs for devel-
oping countries”. Crucially, the reverse is also true.
Addressing climate change cannot be separated from tack-
ling extreme poverty and the needs of developing countries.
The extent to which global poverty and climate change are
addressed will define the future of globalisation and the
future markets and regulation of world manufacturing, con-
struction, transport, agriculture and energy. Globalisation,
climate change and poverty are closely inter-connected and
are the driving issues which will shape engineering over the
coming decades.5
What is the global dimension of
engineering education?
Responses from UK engineering academics when
asked what the global dimension meant to them?
■ The ability to take a broader perspective - application
of curriculum across countries
■ An appreciation of what we do in developing coun-
tries impact upon ourselves.
■ Understanding our culture doesn’t have all the
answers and there is more than one perspective and
approach.
■ Understanding the local context of development
■ Coping with uncertainty
■ Dealing with global issues doesn’t necessarily mean
going to developing countries
■ Challenging stereotypes
■ Recognition of finite resources in the world and the
impact of globalisation
■ Potential role of different technologies
■ Mitigating and adapting to climate change
Source: University stakeholder meetings, 2007
The scale and urgency of the challenge make sustainability
and poverty reduction the defining issues currently facing
engineering and engineering education. It is suggested here
that this should be the starting point for higher education
institutions (HEIs) in considering the global dimension within
engineering education. Considering the global dimension of
engineering education is therefore about much more than
influencing engineering practice in the ‘developing world’. It
is above all about recognising that engineering is a global
industry. To be a global engineer requires not only to under-
standing the global context but also recognising the
contribution engineering can make to securing economic
and social change.
Although economic, social and environmental concerns are
often seen as competing agendas with trade-offs, their inter-
dependence means that if we are to address the causes and
not merely the symptoms of poverty, a holistic view is nec-
essary. A review of the primary anticipated growth markets
for engineering and construction companies shows they are
concentrated in the developing countries and in regions
prone to conflict and entrenched poverty. They include:
■ Investment in oil, gas and mining with over $600bn pro-
jected expenditure over the next 10 years in Africa alone.
■ Expansion in infrastructure investment especially slum
upgrading and urban infrastructure in developing coun-
tries. In 2005 the G8 nations pledged $150bn additional
aid for African infrastructure in the next 10 years. By 2015
it is estimated that 80% of new infrastructure will be in
developing countries.6
■ Public utilities and infrastructure such as water, transport,
electricity, communications and irrigation with a growth
in private-sector participation, public-private partnerships
and market deregulation.
■ Increased investment and support for enterprise based
solutions to poverty including ‘base of the pyramid’ mar-
keting and social entrepreneurship.
■ Opportunities arising from the global application of
emerging computing, energy, nano and bio-science tech-
nologies.
■ Sustainable technologies / approaches especially in the
energy, transport and construction markets resulting from
both adaptation and mitigation of climate change.
These markets present complex and unfamiliar challenges
especially for those engineers only familiar with western
markets. Investments are often in part supported by the offi-
cial donor development assistance and subject to their
scrutiny and social and environmental safeguards. In addi-
tion civil society and poverty and environmental pressure
groups scrutinise as never before the actions of multi-
national companies and their suppliers and contractors
especially those operating in the developing countries. Engi-
neering companies often work directly with project affected
communities and those companies seeking to maximise
growth in these markets will recognise the importance of a
workforce competent in the theory and practice of
sustainability and development. Table 1 (overleaf) maps the
ways in which climate change, poverty and globalisation
define the context of global engineering and how
engineering impacts on this context.
The global dimension can be addressed through a variety of
lenes and perspectives. Within the context of engineering
education, four perspectives and approaches are suggested
as ways to examine what the global dimension looks like.
They are a futures perspectives because of the key role uni-
versities and engineering plays within technological
development. Secondly a business case that recognises areas
such as corporate social responsibility and its social role in
the economies of the twenty first century. Thirdly a critical
perspective because unless engineers recognise there are no
simple or easy solutions and that our actions have social con-
sequences, we are not equipping graduates for dealing with
complexity and uncertainty. This links with the final perspec-
The Global Engineer Page 5