Posted February 28, 2017
The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) emphasizes that engineering competency relies on a combination of both “hard” and “soft” skills like business processes, economics and decision-making.
At the University of Delaware’s recent Industry Partners Day, industry panelists concurred, stressing that the 21st century engineer must develop teamwork, management and leadership skills in addition to technical expertise.
UD’s Management Essentials for Engineers and Scientists is designed to provide an introduction to this critical skill set with an intensive business and management bootcamp for the technical professional. This semester’s offering will take place April 24-27 in Newark.
The course was developed by UD’s Professional Engineering Outreach Program, which has provided continuing professional education programs for engineers for more than 20 years. For this program, Professional Engineering Outreach worked with industry partners to identify management needs and build a curriculum tailored to engineers and other technical professionals.
The program’s instructors are drawn from University of Delaware faculty and industry experts, with program content relying heavily on case studies and projects relevant for engineers and scientists. The curriculum is divided into five core business and management modules: management, leadership, business fundamentals, project management and product development.
Program faculty include Dustin Sleesman, assistant professor of management in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics at UD; Patricia Fullerton, executive project management instructor and consultant; Logan Sturgill, director of product management and marketing at Ashland Inc.; and Mark Williams, chemical and polymer engineer and product specialist at W.L. Gore and Associates.
The course has been well-received by past participants, who have been engineers and scientists from a wide range of industries. “As I am preparing to move into program management, this course provided me the fundamental topics of management,” commented one participant. “This was a great introduction to various aspects of management for new or soon-to-be managers,” commented another participant. “I also got a sense of what some possible career paths could be for me.”
This four-day professional development program is offered through UD’s Division of Professional and Continuing Studies. UD students and UD alumni are eligible for a discount when enrolling. Other discounts include a military/veterans discount, and a group discount when two or more individuals from one business or organization register for the program. A discount for early registration is available through April 3.
For more information or to register, call 302-831-7600, write to continuing-ed@udel.edu or visit the website.
