There is a need for far more engineers and technologists
The increase in students who are offered a place in engineering studies is a staggering 6.75 per cent, i.e. 280 more students than last year.
The government must do more
"We should have been happy with the figures, but there is a need for far more to meet the demand in working life. The government must do more, says Sofie Strøm Olsen, leader of NITO Students (pictured).
Olsen believes that we are still facing an announced skills crisis if we do not act now. A shortage of engineers will create major challenges for Norwegian industry and innovation power and weaken Norwegian research.
"The shortage of engineers will increase drastically with the current offer of study places, and we are already seeing that employers are struggling to hire the right engineering expertise. In Fredrikstad, the admission to mechanical engineering has been cancelled, and in Førde, they have cancelled the admission to civil engineering. This would not have happened if there were a sufficient number of applicants," says Olsen.
She believes this is problematic for the local labour market, which needs engineers from these programmes.
"There are an unbelievable number of available study places to become an engineer at the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service right now, and I would really recommend them to anyone who has R2 maths and Physics 1 from upper secondary school. There are now almost 100 technology and engineering programmes with vacant places, a quarter of all programmes with vacant study places at the Norwegian Universities and Colleges Admission Service.
NITO Students believes that universities and university colleges must tighten the number of study places that are not as in demand in the labour market. Then we can educate more people in the subjects that are needed most. The labour market's need for skills should be given higher priority in the distribution of study places than today.
Leader of NITO Students, Sofie Strøm-Olsen
The student leader refers to the fact that the government itself has pointed out that teachers, technology and health sciences must be prioritised as areas with the greatest need for competence in the future.
"It is therefore useful that we see this reflected in the admission figures. The universities and university colleges have also been instructed to size their study programmes in this direction. Engineering programmes have not been able to increase the proportion of women in the same way that economics and IT programmes have done.
"This year, the proportion of women offered a place has finally reached 25%, but engineering education is still the worst in the class as male-dominated education. The government must come up with new measures to qualify and motivate women to choose engineering studies," she concludes.
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