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doi:10.3850/978-981-08-7920-4_S1-E03-cd
Bridging the Gap: Improving the Professional Development of Post Graduate Engineers through the Educational System
L. A. Ellis1, A. K. Petersen2 and S. Nicholls1
1Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of the West Indies,
St. Augustine, Trinidad.
2Department of Civil Engineering, University of Applied Science, Mainz, Germany.
ABSTRACT
This paper seeks to highlight themeasures taken by the Department of Civil and Environmental
Engineering, at the University of the West Indies in bridging the gap created by the perceived
failure of the Association of Professional Engineers of Trinidad & Tobago (APETT) to meet
the professional development needs of its members. Based on the recent restructuring of the
postgraduate M.Sc. programs in the Department, motivated in part by the Joint Board of
Moderators ( JBM) accreditation process, a course known as Practical TeamProject was designed
to address various challenges in the industry, one being professional development, by including
one of the three stages of Professional Development at the Incorporated Engineering (IEng)
level as outlined by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE). To evaluate the students, new
assessment techniques were used in conjunction with project based learning where leadership
and teamwork were the main focus whilst working on a hypothetical project. Resulting from
these changes in the Department, the ICE West Indies Local Association was formed to further
bridge the professional development gap being experienced in the region.
Keywords: Leadership, Teamwork, Engineering education, Postgraduate students, Professional development.
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