2025-10-16
On 14 October, the 2025 side event of the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO) on “Educating Engineers for the Era of Digital and Intelligent Technologies” was held in Shanghai. Leading experts from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, top universities, research institutions and industry joined in-depth discussions on engineering education reform, talent training practices and innovation in the digital–intelligent era. At the event, the China Engineering Education Blue Book (2023) was released, offering Chinese experience for the development of engineering education worldwide.
I. Conceptual transformation: from “technical specialists” to “system architects”
“The engineers we need today are no longer merely traditional technical specialists, but must be architects of solutions to complex engineering problems, with interdisciplinary knowledge, innovative capacity and a strong sense of humanity,” stated Zhang Daliang, Vice President of the Chinese Society for Higher Education and former Director-General of the Higher Education Department of the Ministry of Education, in his opening remarks.
This transformation demands systemic reform in engineering education. Zhang outlined six directions: reshaping educational philosophy, breaking down disciplinary barriers, advancing education-research-industry integration, reinventing teaching evaluation models, building high-caliber faculty teams, and embedding engineering ethics throughout. “The more advanced the engineering technology, the greater the need for value guidance,” he emphasized.
Ye Min, Vice Chairman of Zhejiang University’s Development Committee, strongly concurred and raised a more forward-looking concern. As the “ternary space” of human society, the physical world, and cyberspace becomes deeply integrated, “quasi-human” entities with bio-mimetic forms and partial intelligence will emerge. “Their entry into education is not far off. We must prepare in advance, considering how to instill proper values and ethical norms into these non-human intelligent agents,” Ye noted.
Addressing the urgent need for transformation, Zhu Gaofeng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and its former Executive Vice President, offered deeper insights from an economics-of-education perspective. Citing data that “China produced over 40 million engineering graduates in the past two decades, yet only about 15 million engineering professionals are currently employed,” he highlighted the disconnect between talent cultivation and industry needs. “Educational outcomes have long-term delays,” Zhu stressed, calling for enhanced forward-looking research to ensure engineering education investments yield appropriate social returns.
II. Practice and exploration: seeking answers in deep university–industry integration
Conceptual innovation must ultimately be implemented through practical pathways. Zhang Guangxin, Dean of Zhejiang University’s National School of Outstanding Engineers, shared their approach: building a training system that “focuses on engineering, interdisciplinary integration, and quality.” They offer an “Advanced Engineering Cognition and Practice” course that combines foundational modules like mechanical control and sensor technology with cutting-edge topics such as the metaverse and intelligent robots, while co-constructing engineering technology centers with enterprises to introduce real-world projects that effectively enhance students’ ability to solve complex engineering problems.
Patrick Mueller, Vice President of R&D at BMW Brilliance, candidly noted based on 30 years of industry experience that both Chinese and German companies face the challenge of “university curricula lagging behind technological updates.” He proposed a “dual-track training” model that provides senior engineers with supplementary courses in digital science and machine learning while allowing new hires to learn intelligent technologies through actual projects. Mueller emphasized that engineering talent development requires solid foundations in mathematics and physics, called for deeper enterprise involvement in curriculum standards development, and urged the establishment of a lifelong learning system to address rapid technological iteration.
Joseph Press, Special Advisor to the President of Shanghai University of Engineering Science, envisioned the 2035 engineering workplace: “Designing products and debugging production lines in a virtual-physical hybrid space while wearing AR glasses, with AI assistants providing real-time recommendations.” Building on this vision, he introduced the concept of “Genotype Model Systems Engineering,” advocating that engineering education integrate frontier technologies like digital twins and quantum computing into curricula while cultivating green development concepts to address global challenges such as climate change and energy transition.
III. Results released: the Blue Book unlocks China’s engineering education experience
The release of the China Engineering Education Blue Book (2023) became the focal point of the parallel session. Compiled by Zhejiang University’s China Academy of Science and Technology Strategy, the Blue Book integrates insights from dozens of engineering education experts nationwide and incorporates authoritative data from the Ministry of Education and the National Development and Reform Commission, presenting a comprehensive overview of China’s engineering education development and reform practices.
Li Tuoyu, Vice Dean of the China Academy of Science and Technology Strategy at Zhejiang University, delivered an on-site interpretation of the Blue Book’s core contents. He explained that it covers key sections including the development of the engineering education system, progress in emerging engineering education, and the development of National Schools of Outstanding Engineers, with particular emphasis on analyzing China’s engineering education transformation pathways for the digital-intelligent era. “The book specially includes reform cases from top universities, detailing innovative practices such as AI literacy education and cross-disciplinary micro-major development,” Li emphasized. He noted that the Blue Book’s compilation aims not only to “present China’s engineering education report card” but also to “contribute Chinese perspectives to global engineering education.”
IV. Building consensus: forging the backbone of engineering in the digital–intelligent tide
During the round-table forum, guests from universities, enterprises, and think tanks engaged in in-depth exchanges on “how to cultivate engineers suited for the digital-intelligent era” and reached core consensus: amidst rapid digital-intelligent changes, strengthening students’ foundations in mathematics and physics, and cultivating their innovative thinking and critical spirit is more crucial than ever. Simultaneously, institutional barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration and university-enterprise synergy must be vigorously removed to establish a lifelong learning system spanning engineers’ entire careers.
“The road ahead is long and arduous, but perseverance will lead us to our destination.” Facing the surging digital-intelligent wave, the wisdom gathered at this parallel session is propelling China’s engineering education community toward more open and pragmatic actions to jointly cultivate outstanding engineers who can support and lead the future—forging the strongest engineering backbone for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and global sustainable development.
(Source: Shanghai Association for Science and Technology)
