SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE SDGS: REVEALING ENGINEERING ACADEMICS, STUDENTS AND EMPLOYER VIEWPOINTS

As the world’s focus turns to the future and not the present, the engineering profession must respond to the ever increasing need to bring about a sustainable future. The objective of this paper is to support the reform of engineering education by acknowledging and building upon the current awareness and understanding of sustainable development held by key stakeholders in the process. This paper presents the outcomes of a study involving twelve focus groups with Academics, Employers and Students in four European countries (Denmark, Finland, France and Ireland) as part of the A-STEP 2030 European Project. Based on the findings, it is clear that the key stakeholders closely associate the theme of the environment with Sustainable Development. There is also mention of the pillar of economy, but less so, that of society. The findings also reveal differences in the awareness of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with SDG 13 (Climate Action) being most widely noted. The findings allow educators to engage in discussion with students to build a more complete understanding of aspects of sustainable development and to act in redesigning curricula to ensure engineers can contribute to a sustainable future.