Teaching management skills to engineering undergraduates-the Trinity experience

Summary form only given as follows. Civil engineering has been taught in Trinity College Dublin since 1842. From the outset the emphasis has always been on providing a broad well-rounded education. Increasingly, attention is given to the teaching of management and communication skills. These skills are important for technology management. This paper describes ´The Engineer, Management and Society´ programme which is obligatory for all engineering students during the last two years of the four year undergraduate course. Included are elements of law, economics, management, business skills, economics and communication skills. The paper outlines some of the advantages and disadvantages of the present approach to teaching these subjects. The communication skills module is described as an example, referring to the relevance of modern electronic communications in the engineering profession as well as the traditional skills of report writing and oral presentations. The paper explains how some of the objectives of the course are met by coursework, projects and other aspects of the degree programme, and also mentions some of the other aspects of the undergraduate course relevant to technology management. Conclusions are presented on the Trinity experience of teaching management skills to engineering students, with suggestions on possible future developments