The government is weakening the foundation of engineering education

As a student leader for over 17,000 engineering and technology students, I react strongly to the government's desire to remove the framework plan for engineering education.

It ensures a common foundation for approximately 12,000 students, and determines which subjects an engineering education must contain. The government's proposal means that the national requirements are removed, and then the educational institutions can to a greater extent define the content of an engineering education themselves.

Concerned about quality 

Without the framework plan, we are concerned that the requirements for mathematics and physics in engineering education will become weaker over time. Fewer applicants for higher education meet the requirements for mathematics and physics from upper secondary education, and those who are admitted to engineering education know less than before. The funding model means that universities and university colleges have a financial interest in weakening the requirements for admitting more students and getting them through their studies.

The framework plan requires close cooperation with the labour market. This will be postponed if the framework plan is removed. This may weaken the relevance of working life in one of Norway's largest and most important basic educations. 

Today, this is one of the strengths of engineering education. We generally have a good collaboration with the labour market, especially on bachelor's theses, and the study programmes must be designed in collaboration with the labour market. 

Without the framework plan, the road to failed academisation and poorer relevance to working life will be short.

The framework plan provides a good balance between basic engineering courses, programme subjects, technical specialisation and elective courses. It sets requirements for competence in mathematics and physics and for close cooperation with working life.

It also ensures a common professional foundation that means that working life knows what they are getting when they hire a civil engineer or a mechanical engineer. Without the framework plan, it can be more difficult for companies to understand what skills an engineer has.

Challenging the government

I expect an engineering degree to have a stamp of quality from the government, regardless of where you studied.

We must be able to trust that the skills we gain through our education will enable us to solve the tasks in working life properly. Engineers build bridges, power plants and oil platforms. It has major consequences if our calculations are not correct.

By removing the framework plan , not only requirements for subjects, but requirements for competence are removed. The governance is already overarching and well-functioning. This is in contrast to many of the other framework plans, such as for nursing education and psychology.

I challenge the government to modernise the framework plan so that it continues to ensure a common professional foundation that provides the labour market with the engineering skills they need. And then education, technological development, artificial intelligence and the skills needs of the future must be met.