What is the value of a T-shaped Education?

A debate hosted jointly with The Engineering Club looking at whether we need to reassess our approach to professional education to address the climate crisis.
Are we preparing the right sort of graduates for the modern construction industry? A T-shaped education has a broad grasp across all the disciplines and an in-depth knowledge of one. With the climate crisis influencing the education of future professionals, should this now become the norm? The challenge for professionals is to break down the silo-mentality to create a more integrated team and hence a more efficient industry. Some might argue that greater integration between design and construction is more desirable, add to this challenges such as climate change and understanding building physics, and the requirement for more ‘T-shaped’ graduates becomes ever stronger. Nonetheless the attraction of traditional courses persists due to the value attributed to the identity and culture promoted by the institutions that set the curriculum and accredit courses.
The specialist professional degree is something admired around the world and perhaps interdisciplinary education is better tackled at a post-graduate and practice level.

Are the new interdisciplinary courses a small, worthy, peripheral variation on the mainstream of construction education or a revolutionary model that should be encouraged by the institutions to grow?Or should we be creating a new construction discipline through which educational establishments can attract a new generation of graduates more attuned to the needs of the environment?

Chair: Jane Wernick EngineersHRW

Speakers:

1. Luke Olsen, Bartlett Engineering Architecture Design course leader

2. Maria Smith, Interrobang! Trans-disciplinary practice

3. Peter Roberts, Principal of the multidisciplinary engineering practice OR Engineers

4. Faith Wainwright, Arup

5. John Connaughton, University of Reading

6. Chris Stobbart, graduate of Sheffield architecture and engineering course

Venue: The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT
Timing: Wednesday 16th October 2019, Debate 6.30 – 8.00 pm
Drinks and networking - until 9.00 pm

Please come and contribute to the discussion. To attend please register by each attendee’s name here

Downloads:

ED95 trans or trad flyer