ISLe Learning Hub on Transforming Engineering Education: An Introduction to the Series

We are excited to launch the Transforming Engineering Education Learning Hub as part of the Infrastructure Sustainability Learning (ISLe) Initiative, designed to accelerate knowledge sharing and collaboration across the global engineering community. The series creates a space for academics, practitioners, and industry leaders to explore how engineering education can adapt to the urgent challenges of our time.

The ISLe Initiative aims to build virtual communities of sustainable infrastructure practitioners to learn from experts and from one another, using the case-based and problem-solving learning approaches developed by Project ECHO. Within an ISLe network, participants explore issues related to their own practice in collaboration with other participants and experts. 

This opening session introduced the series and set the stage for a dialogue rooted in ICSI’s Global Engineering Capacity and Capability Position Paper (2024). It highlighted the pressing need to expand and transform engineering capacity and capability to meet the demands of climate change, biodiversity loss, and infrastructure under-investment. By engaging with themes such as systems thinking, emerging competencies, and inclusive approaches to education, this series aims to chart a path toward curricula that prepare engineers to lead in delivering sustainable, resilient, and people-centred infrastructure.

The opening session featured insights from three speakers, each bringing a distinct perspective on the need for transformation in engineering education.

Chris Bradshaw, Chief of Sustainability and Education at Bentley Systems, drew on four decades of industry experience to highlight two persistent challenges: a shortage of engineers and a gap between academic preparation and industry needs. He emphasised the urgent need for more engineers in infrastructure-related fields, as well as equipping graduates with hands-on experience and the ability to keep pace with rapidly evolving technologies.

Kirils Holstovs, representing the World Federation of Engineering Organizations’ Young Engineers/Future Leaders group and working as a civil and structural engineer at AECOM, emphasised the responsibility of engineers not just to adapt to global challenges but to actively address them. He underscored the importance of integrating sustainability into both education and ongoing professional development, and the need for systematic approaches to continuous upskilling of practitioners across different contexts.

Sara Oliver, Director of Duke University’s Master of Engineering in Climate and Sustainability, shared her personal journey from traditional design roles to climate adaptation. She highlighted the importance of cultivating engineers who combine deep technical foundations with creativity, critical thinking, and the ability to navigate uncertainty – all vital skills for addressing climate and sustainability challenges.

Together, their perspectives converged on the need to rethink both curricula and professional development to position engineers as innovators and problem-solvers for a rapidly changing world. Discussion between the speakers and participants emphasised the need to go beyond siloed teaching approaches and to embed sustainability and systems thinking throughout curricula.

In breakout groups, participants further explored major challenges and opportunities for transforming engineering education.

• Bridging academic and industry practice – through greater use of case studies, competitions, and research partnerships with firms to provide students with real-world exposure, including maintenance and asset management projects often overlooked in favour of new builds.

• Embedding systems and critical thinking – integration of systems-level approaches, critical analysis, and interdisciplinary perspectives to equip graduates for addressing complexity rather than isolated technical problems.

• Expanding interdisciplinary learning – development of introductory and cross-disciplinary courses linking engineering with ecology, social sciences, and business to strengthen problem-framing and decision-making skills.

• Embedding sustainability across curricula – incorporation of climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, and resilience into core courses, starting from early design modules.
• Supporting mindset change and continuous learning – recognition that transforming professional practice requires institutional support, structured lifelong learning, and tools to help distinguish deep knowledge from superficial or AI-generated solutions.

Watch a recording below:

The next session on 2 October Mainstreaming sustainable development in engineering education: Key competencies & emerging topics, will shift focus from identifying challenges and opportunities to exploring the skills and knowledge that engineers need to meet today’s global challenges. The discussion will highlight emerging areas such as climate adaptation, nature-based solutions, digital technologies, and ethical responsibility, alongside core themes of resilience and sustainability. 

Building on the introductory session’s emphasis on bridging theory and practice, this conversation will examine how education can equip engineers with the knowledge, mindset, and skills required to navigate complex, interconnected systems.

You’ll see presentations from:

• Jonathan Truslove – Education and Skills Lead at Engineers Without Borders UK, focusing on the Global Responsibility Competency Compass
• Julian Antonio Cortés Oggero – Professor at Universidad de Chile, showcasing examples and reflections on emerging areas and key competencies for future engineers

Read more:  ISLe Learning Hub