On the one hand, more and more highly qualified engineers are needed to work in the digital future, from Industry 4.0 to electromobility. On the other hand, different expertise is also required than before. VDE member companies see both points as major hurdles on the way to a successful digital transformation and are therefore calling for a digital education offensive.

University graduates and young professionals in electrical engineering and information technology have good career opportunities. This is shown by the new VDE Tec Report 2017, a VDE survey of the 1300 VDE member companies and universities in the electrical engineering and information technology sector. A full 92% of respondents are convinced of the excellent career prospects for electrical engineers and IT experts. 89% of respondents expect that the trend towards new mobility, smart grids, smart cities and Industry 4.0 will further increase the demand for electrical engineers and IT experts and 91% believe that international competition for electrical and IT specialists will continue to intensify. 83% also expect the proportion of electrical engineers and IT experts in companies to continue to grow.

Specialists wanted for R&D, engineering and software

The challenge: the job profile is changing and requires new, interdisciplinary approaches. Only 9% of survey participants therefore believe that companies will have no problem meeting their demand for appropriately trained engineers and IT specialists in the coming years. Electrical engineers are particularly sought after for the areas of research and development, planning / project planning / engineering and IT / software. However, there is also likely to be a shortage of specialists in other areas such as production, data science / analytics, consulting or quality management. Shortages of young academics in electrical engineering at universities are reported by 60% of all respondents and even 75% of universities.

Education offensive required

Engineering training "Made in Germany" will remain "state of the art" in the future. This is confirmed by a clear majority of respondents (56%). However, two thirds also clearly state that digital education must be massively improved in terms of form and content at all levels of school and university education. More than half of the survey participants are therefore calling for a digital education offensive from the future federal government.