Energy IQ: Engineers Turn to Continuing Education in an Era of Technological Advancements

It took more than 40 years for half of all U.S. households to have a telephone after its invention, but only 10 years for half of the U.S. population to own a cell phone¹. At 1,454 feet, the Empire State building stood as the world’s tallest building for nearly 40 years after it was built in 1931. But in the 40 years since, that mark has been topped numerous times, and was nearly doubled by the Burj Khalifa building in Dubai, reaching a lofty 2,717 feet in 2010.

Humanity continues to break its earthly limits in many ways today, and at an ever-increasing pace.

Keeping Pace Through Continuing Education

Every day, engineers around the globe challenge the impossible to make these technological advancements possible and support our expanding infrastructure. For instance, to support the evolving electrical demands in designing taller, smarter, more eco-friendly buildings, electrical engineers are required to not only resolve the challenges of a changing industry, but maintain integrity and compliance with newer and ever-changing codes and regulations. And, coupled with rapid changes in technology, engineers turn to continuing education to not only maintain their license but also to earn a competitive edge through thought leadership content and discussion. 

Around the world, several institutions and local entities require engineers to participate in continuing education opportunities to keep their Professional Engineer (PE) or equivalent licenses. In the U.S., more than 40 states require engineers to complete a set number of Professional Development Hours (PDHs) every other year to keep their PE license current, with several states requiring up to 30 PDHs per engineer².

Cummins surveyed over 500 engineers to understand what they seek in continuing education programs. According to respondents, staying up to date with industry trends in order to ensure better job effectiveness was their primary objective, with "Codes and Standards" being the topic of interest that topped their list. For preferred formats, webinars were ranked as the top choice, followed by self-guided online training and face-to-face meetings or training sessions.

Continuing Education Opportunities Offered by Cummins

Engineers who are interested in critical technology updates, the latest codes and industry applications, as well as credited PDHs can take advantage of industry leading educational opportunities offered by Cummins: 

1. Cummins PowerHour webinars offer monthly opportunities to tune in to live discussions on power systems, components and applications. 
2. Cummins TechStream e-newsletter offer free access to technical white papers and case studies specific to power generation systems and segments, covering both trends and technologies. 
3. Our two-day factory Power Seminar sessions offer in-person education opportunities featuring a combination of group learning and real-life application demonstrations.
4. Our Lunch-and-Learn opportunities could be held at your location or at nearby Cummins distributor with the content customized per your specific needs.

To learn more about trends in continuing education for engineers follow Cummins on Facebook and LinkedIn. To learn more about continuing education opportunities Cummins offers for specifying engineers, visit our web page. To learn more about how Cummins is powering a world that’s "Always On," visit our web page.

Think your friends and colleagues would like this content? Share on LinkedIn and Facebook.

References: 

1. McGrath G. R. (2013, November 25). The Pace of Technology Adoption is Speeding Up. [Web article]. Retrieved from https://hbr.org
2. Professional Engineers – Requirements by State [Web article]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://pdhacademy.com