Experience and Knowledge: Let´s Get Them Together

In providing continuing education opportunities for its engineering-oriented employees, industry today has five distinct options. These are: (a) Instructional television of campus course offerings into the plant, (b) Contract courses tailored to the company\´s specific requirements, (c) Engineering short courses of the summer variety, (d) In-plant offerings by company staff augmented by other professionals, (e) Traditional on-campus work through night school or released time. These options can be viewed from the standpoint of the popular value concept, "benefit: cost" ratio. Influencing factors are the role of credit, company expectations, employee expectations, direct and indirect costs to the company and to the individual, quality of course offerings, the atmosphere for continuing engineering education today and the nature of the company\´s involvement in technologically advanced work. Conclusions are given regarding the "best" solution for a given situation. Recommendations are made for enhancement of the continuing education responsibilities of participants.