[modeleng] Re: Engineering education - rant

Your country is not the only one in trouble.
Here in Flanders, they came up with the brilliant idea, of 'skill 
centred education'.
That means, the time spent in the schools , wil be used in paroting 
things, with the express notion, that is not good to know WHY matters 
are than in a particular way, as long as you can copy a set number of 
jobs, it is ok!
This may be the kind of training, that should be given to unskilled men, 
for production jobs,
It does not "a machinist maketh"

Patrick
Flanders


peter.chadwick@xxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

>So I'm out here at the office in San Diego. We needed a special test 
>fixture, and rather than do sketches that get turned into proper drawings 
>(or draw things correctly as I was taught 40+ years ago!) followed by 
>trying to find a jobbing shop that will follow drawings rather than 
>'improve' things to their ideas,  I made the necessary fixture in the home 
>workshop in the UK and shipped it out here. Bit of turning, boring out 1 
>inch diameter brass bar to fit 22mm copper water pipe and a 21mm diameter 
>1mm pitch thread cutting , with bits of material threaded to suit, other 
>turning, threading, knurling and milling jobs -  very much an apprentice 
>job of 40 years ago.So I find all the engineers here (oldest is about 50) 
>marvel at this.'Where did you learn to do this?' sort of thing. 'How do 
>you get this funny finish on a thumb screw?'
>'Oh, you mean knurling'
>'Is that what it is?'
>Just what sort of engineers are we turning out these days? OK, these are 
>integrated circuit designers, but if you're working on radio stuff, you 
>must realise that specialised fixtures are needed. I can see that in 10 
>years time, this branch of engineering  will all be designed in the far 
>East because our so-called engineers won't know how to produce the 
>necessary mechanical fixtures. At the same time, 'one offs' that don't 
>actually justify the time taken to program a CAE machine just won't be 
>available. Meanwhile,our so-called 'engineers' have a very narrow view....
>
>I wonder if the 'amateur' or 'model' engineer will suddenly be in demand 
>for 'craftmanship', although God knows, I'm no craftsman. Go to the ME 
>exhibitions, and marvel and wonder at the real craftmanship.......I do.
>
>Not that I know any mechanical engineering. I took ONC Applied Mechanics 5 
>times................and failed 5 times. Then gave up.
>
>Peter Chadwick.
>Radio Engineer (and proud of it!)
>Swindon - sometimes. San Diego this week.
>
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