Educating the 21st Century’s Engineers and IT Professionals

Abstract

In this chapter, some important aspects of preparing engineers and IT professionals of the 21st century are examined, especially in the context of new media communication skills in trans-national and trans-cultural globalised environments. Initially, the chapter refers to the value and need of informal and continuing education; next, it reviews recent learning theories aiming at covering learning in today’s complex, networked, and trans-cultural landscape; it also presents competences demanded in contemporary and emerging engineering and IT workplaces, as well as the skills needed by the 21st century’s engineers and IT professionals. Finally, the chapter has proposed educational policies, enterprise policies, and suggestions for self-directed learning which will help preparing engineers and IT professionals for the workplace and will also enable them to continue learning, individually or in teams, both face to face and distance mode, and participating in real or in virtual communities of practice.