Educating Engineers for Sustainable Development: a work based approach

In this paper, we explore the potentials of designing engineering education activities for sustainability development based on how environmental concerns are integrated into product development processes in a company context. First we draw on a case study from the Danish company Grundfos Management A/S and based on their experience with product development practise and competence development of product developers, we propose a set of competences to be addressed in engineering education for sustainable development (EESD). Furthermore, we use the problem based learning philosophy as a base for proposing a framework for transferring the experiences from professional practise to an educational setting. The conclusion is that professional practise can serve as a valuable source of inspiration to design EESD activities; however to foster EESD beyond company level, broader ethical reflections on science, technology and society are needed.