Must hear moments from Engineering the Future Workforce in 2025
Looking for fresh perspectives on preparing tomorrow’s engineering talent?
On the Engineering the Future Workforce podcast, we’ve had the exciting opportunity to interview a wide variety of forward-thinking educators, engineering leaders and students.
Below, we’re recapping some of the most exciting moments from the podcast to date, from sustainable engineering skills development to quality-assured credentials, the value of emerging tools like immersive design and more.
Preparing students for the biggest workplace transformation in 100 years
To put the skills gap challenge in perspective, Professor Michael J. Readey underlined the seismic changes happening in industry and the need to dramatically rethink how we prepare engineers for the workforce. He also emphasized adaptability in the face of unprecedented change.
“One of the things that I talk about in all of my classes is that students… are going to experience perhaps the largest single transformation in industry that perhaps we’ve seen in the last 100 years…. So, while we teach plenty of fundamentals, one of the things that we try to talk about is the world is changing very rapidly and we need to be prepared for it.”
Tackling sustainability with immersive design tools and dynamic credentials
A significant challenge for sustainability initiatives is the ongoing shortage of sustainable engineering skills. So, how can we make these crucial skills more accessible and integrate them effectively into engineering education?
Emerging talent like Suavi Yildirim, a master’s student in autonomy technologies and leader of the winning team in the 2025 Siemens-Sony Immersive Design Challenge, are demonstrating how innovative, immersive experiences are making sustainable engineering skills more accessible.
Suavi shared how his team leveraged these tools and credentials:
“In my opinion, sustainability was at the heart of everything we did since the beginning of the project development procress. We used immersive tools to see how our choices affected resources based on energy.”
“And for the microcredentials, there are really great resources out there. For example, while working on the challenge, I discovered that Siemens offers many courses on Coursera, including one about circular economy sustainability…. I found these microcredentials really valuable because they provide a balanced view, not just from academic settings, but with the industry partnership… which is essential for preparing future engineers.”
These credentials can be rapidly updated to stay abreast of industry trends and technologies, making it easier for both students and working professionals to acquire vital skills in sustainability and beyond. In our episode featuring rising Siemens stars Sophie Overstreet and Hani Qaqish, they candidly shared how credentials have significantly boosted their confidence and validated key skills for the workforce.
Sophie highlighted how credentials like certifications provided a crucial advantage early in her career.
“I got certified in project management, which then helped me lead and develop projects in technical marketing… my familiarity with Siemens software and my certifications on it definitely helped. It stood out because I would be later teaching those courses, so I had a leg up in that specific field.”
Employers are eager to see quality-assured microcredentials, and ABET is rising to meet the need
Recent research clearly points to a strong demand for quality assurance in the credential space. Data from Accredible shows that a remarkable 94 percent of HR and talent leaders seek credentials backed by third-party endorsements, yet only 31 percent of issuers currently provide them.
Similarly, Coursera reports that 61 percent of students prioritize accreditation and quality assurance when selecting microcredentials.
Jessica Silwick, COO and CFO of ABET, recounted a pivotal moment that spurred their involvement:
“Ten years ago, we had an industry advisory council member come to us and say, ‘Hey, ABET, we need you. We’re not getting the same funnel of applicants from degreed programs. We are starting now to hire individuals from credentialed learning opportunities… but there’s so many out there and we are having a hard time assessing quality.'”
This urgent call prompted ABET to thoroughly investigate the credential market, recognizing the need to adapt while upholding their reputation for quality. They created a framework centering clearly defined learning outcomes, robust assessment methods, the involvement of industry stakeholders and transparency for assuring high-quality, relevant credentials.
To explore more perspectives on the key challenges and opportunities in engineering education, tune in now to Engineering the Future Workforce podcast, available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
