Page 27 - Annual Report 2016-2017

REPORTS FROM NATIONAL MEMBERS 27
Because the concept of Engineering is developing rapidly and is getting “closer” to science, IDA has supported this development for its members to the bene t for both the single engineers and the engineering companies.
STEM on the Agenda for Education and Research.
Science, Technology, Engineering and Math have been pushed carefully by IDA over the past years. IDA has through consultations with the Government, the employers’ associations and with the Universities concretely pointed out the needs for continuous training of both the employed engineers in the companies and the engineers employed at different levels at the Universities and other institutions for higher education. Likewise, IDA has carried out concrete projects in the primary and secondary schools raising awareness of the Engineering Profession and by concrete projects demonstrated the effects both professional and personally of working as an engineer.
The current very concrete outcome of IDA’s STEM activ- ities has on 24 April 2018 materialized in a brand-new Technology Pact initiated by IDA for establishing better framework conditions for the development of the STEM skills and employment and promoting new technologies. IDA has also kickstarted concrete considerations and initiatives about how and where robotics can deliver a contribution to solving the many challenges that the modern societies face today with the elds of e.g. Arti cial Intelligence, environment, climate change, energy, pollution, health care, life science, clean tech etc.
Supporting the education of new engineers and scientists.
The STEM Strategy is supported by a Strategy for Digital Growth focusing on SMV’s, data as an impetus for growth and intelligent employment. The establishment of a “Digital Hub” in Denmark is a new Partnership for Digital Growth in which IDA is playing a major role by contributing with the technological concepts that can make digitalization appli- cable on various areas of the Danish Society and in the Danish companies.
The Strategy for Digital Growth will deliver Digital compe- tencies for everyone i.e. the single inhabitant, every student at the relevant level and with the relevant content for the different educations.
The employment situation of engineers in Denmark.
The Labor Market for engineers in Denmark is still in a positive development with almost no unemployed engineers (app 3% of the total number of active engineers on the Labor Market). However, IDA is observant on the number of recently graduated unemployed engineers. IDA has over the recent years carried out efforts in order to make it easier for engineers from abroad to nd employment as engineers in Danish companies. This has happened in cooperation with the Danish employers, their organizations and the Danish Labor Market authorities especially targeted towards the small and medium seized companies which have the biggest challenges in employing engineers from other countries.