The Choice of the Engineering Profession in the Assessments of Students and Teachers

Abstract

One reason for the shortage of engineers in their mass production is the low motivation of students to choose engineering specialties. The article presents a comparative analysis of the motives of primary professionalization of school graduates and students of technical training profiles of universities of Sverdlovsk region, and assessments of student motivation of selection engineering profession by teachers of technical disciplines of these schools .It is stressed that the leading factor in selection of technical specialty, according to the applicants, is universality of professional vocational training, as it forms those skills and personal qualities that contributes to career growth in any of the socially prestigious nowadays professional fields (first of all, management and business). Not less important for the selection of future technical specialty is the factor of professional continuity and continuation of family traditions. Analysis of assessments of students of technical profiles of education for the period from 1995 to 2012 revealed similar trends. During 17 years weight of the motif “interest in the profession” among the students of technical specialties has grown more than in one and a half time, reaching average data array indicators. In opinion of majority of interviewed teachers, the motives of student selection of engineering profession are random. According to the opinion of majority of teachers, modern students of the engineering specialties are not too much interested in the profession itself. The lecturers 4 times more often than students themselves indicated that the dominant motive for students is to get a diploma.