Engineers needed to help build New Zealand

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Engineers needed to help build New Zealand

A lack of qualified engineers could hinder New Zealand’s emergence from the recession, says the head of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, Professor Don Cleland.

Figures from the Institution of Professional Engineers show New Zealand is well behind other OECD countries when it comes to engineering graduates, Professor Cleland says.

“While many think engineers just build roads, buildings and other infrastructure, here at Massey we’re also focused on wealth creation by manufacturing added value food and consumer products, communications technology and renewable energy, among other things.

“For example, the concept for a computer game may be devised by someone with a creative background, but it requires someone with technical know-how to make it work. Engineers or graduates with technical training make possible most of the things that are driving the economy.”

Agri-food research is an area where Massey is a world leader and Professor Cleland’s own research into optimisation of food refrigeration processes is proof that engineers are pivotal in adding value to primary products. He was recently made a Fellow of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

“Currently a major issue for New Zealand is the ecological footprint of our export food products,” he says. “In order to be acceptable in some export markets we need to show that the life cycle impact of New Zealand food products, including transport to distance markets, is similar to or less than locally-produced products.

“To date, analysis has shown that our food production and manufacturing systems have quite a low environmental impact relative to other countries, and that the impact of transport to counter-seasonal markets in the northern hemisphere is compensated by reduced need for long-term refrigerated storage.”

Professor Cleland believes that secondary school students need to keep their options open by continuing science classes at school.

“Often maths, physics and chemistry are seen as hard subjects and a commitment to science can take up a large portion of a student’s curriculum, but a science-based education will give good guarantees in the current economic climate. There is always demand for engineers and other science-based professions because what we do supports almost every part of the economy.”

He says there are simply not enough engineers coming out of the New Zealand system at the moment. “Salaries for engineers here are good, but many are finding better money overseas, which has led to New Zealand employers having to look offshore to fill positions.”

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