This Is What Young Professionals In Mechanical Engineering Value

2023 Author: Hannah Pearcy | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-06-01 01:49

This is also borne out by the figures: As a calculation by the Institute of German Business (IW) shows, around 700,000 engineers will retire by 2029. At the same time, the advancing employees in mechanical engineering have different ideas about the work itself due to digitization. This is related to the peculiarities of Generation Y, born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, across all industries. The meaningfulness of work, lifelong learning, flexibility and a good work-life balance have a high priority for her. But what exactly are young professionals looking for in mechanical engineering?More about promoting young talent and digitization in the white paper!

Digitization as a decisive factor

Since the young people in mechanical engineering are thoroughly digital-savvy due to their interests and training, they have corresponding demands on potential employers. This shows how comprehensive digitization is shaping mechanical engineering. In order to continue to exist on the market, a digital strategy needs to be implemented. This can mean two things: firstly, the optimization of existing processes with the help of digital tools such as the item engineering tool, and secondly, the change or reinvention of the business model. A generation that is shaped by platforms such as Amazon or Netflix and an innovative start-up culture wants above all to do a job that is at the cutting edge. However, this does not mean that digital tools or business models should become an end in themselves. Sticking to proven and still current methods plus targeted further development through a digital transformation - this is what German mechanical engineering with its mixture of tradition and innovation is made for.

At the same time, companies should show their own initiative when it comes to looking after young professionals: digitization has not yet reached all study programs. An internal training culture is essential and is also expected by young professionals in mechanical engineering. Ultimately, the knowledge imparted during the course is a good basis for young engineers, but it needs to be continuously updated. Those who rely on lifelong learning and offer their employees appropriate offers increase the attractiveness of their own company sustainably. The range of further education formats is large - it ranges from internal workshops and seminars or digital offers on demand to the use of external training providers. In addition, the topic of further training should have a firm place in the corporate strategy. This includes the definition of clear responsibilities and sufficient time budgets for the implementation of the tasks.

Desires of young professionals in mechanical engineering

Generation Y has certain ideas not only about the “what?”, Ie the actual work, but also about the “how?”, Ie the corporate culture. Self-determined work and flexibility, for example in the context of agile project management, are also at the top for young professionals in mechanical engineering. This includes flextime and location-independent coordination as in the home office. The digital age has enabled new, uncomplicated forms of communication - web meetings or messenger services in particular can replace some direct coordination. Companies must therefore provide young engineers with an environment and a digital infrastructure that gives them the necessary flexibility. This also includes flexible workplaces where every employee can dial in with his operating system account. Then interdisciplinary teams from one location are able to work together even better.

What will the future bring to mechanical engineering? Save your study now!

Whether with customers or cooperation partners - young professionals in mechanical engineering also expect that they will be challenged accordingly when it comes to communicating with external contacts. After all, they want to bring their communicative and digital skills to the full. As the extensive study “What will the mechanical engineering of the future look like?” By item Industrietechnik shows, from the point of view of the respondents, the proportion of cooperation will continue to increase in the future. For this study, numerous specialist articles, studies and lectures were evaluated and experts from the fields of management, purchasing and construction were interviewed, supplemented by 141 additional online interviews. The range of topics covered by the study ranges from current challenges in mechanical engineering to changes in construction and new business models.