BSc Engineering Technology Versus BSc Engineering Programs:: Matter of National Interest

Very Important Post and I need your comments/feedback on it.

Dear all, I am writing below some pointers, thoughts and my explanations about these two different programs especially for students who are taking admission nowadays or will take admission in future and also for those who have a keen eye on Pakistan's future.

Dear all as BSc Engineering programs in many disciplines are already been offered such as BSc Mechanical, Chemical Engg etc.

Now, many years back BSc Engineering Technology Programs started to offer by few Universities in Pakistan such as Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical Engineering Technology, etc

What are Technology Programs ?

It is same 04 years degree program as Engineering but in it, the concept is to prepare students directly for technical jobs in industries, which join the industry and do the job required by industries without thinking about innovations or designs. While Engineering programs are here to make students as thinkers, innovators, designers in real life world problems. Technologists are considered to do sophisticated technical work for a long time with accuracy of their skills. While Engineers are considered to be the problem solvers, troubleshooters, who find some problems and then design its solutions. You can read more about it here as well. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-engine…

In Technology Programs, there should be ratio of 70 % practical knowledge and 30 % Theoretical knowledge. While in Engineering, It is vice versa.

In technology programs, the last year of the four year degree, you do internship in a industry for a year and normally no thesis submitted, just technical report or some technical project (which has already been done in industry) is implemented with a report of it. While in Engineering, you are required to do a thesis over a year that must be innovative and new design and you write a thesis and defend it at the end as well.

Pakistan Govt. has launched a new body NTC (National Technology Council) to accrediate the Technology Programs. So these technology programs have nothing to do with PEC (Pakistan Engineering Council) and PEC is not Even Eligible to accredite these programs. Here is the web address of this Council. https://www.ntc-hec.org.pk/

Few major universities in technology areas are Punjab Tainjin University of Engineering & Technology in Lahore and also a biggest player in this field launched by Army is NUTECH (National University of Technology). With NUTECH coming in this technology field can have the same effect as NUST did in Engineering decades back. You can also see accredited Programs and under accreditation programs by NTC here on these links. https://www.ntc-hec.org.pk/etpuz.php & https://www.ntc-hec.org.pk/aetp.php

Do you know that there is a major university coming in this area and have been charter approved by Senate, which can act like same as UHS (University of Health Sciences) do to regulate Medical Programs. This university name is National Skills University. It will act a Technology Leader along with NTC and universities like NUTECH and PTUT in Pakistan . See its information on this link. https://www.senate.gov.pk/uploa…/documents/1514264091_395.pdf

Just a small note here, to regulate technical diplomas. Govt. has already launched NAVTTC (National Vocational and Technical Training Commission), which is nowadays accrediting technical courses and technical colleges.

Why the Technology Programs are needed in Pakistan ?

Well believe me, I have no exact answer to it. I know Engineers are already jobless and they are launching new technology programs when you already have engineering ones.

If you ask me, I have some pointers / reasons for it. Whenever some country asks us for manpower, technical manpower for example Korea, Japan , Qatar etc. We lack skilful workers as they need. Yes, we have bunch of DAEs, we have bunch of B.Techs but due to no regulatory authority to keep check and balance on these programs as PEC does on Engineering Programs. We do not have same quality of DAEs and B.Techs. For example, you will find a wide difference in skills (whatever good or bad) of DAEs or Btechs studied from the two colleges located on a street across each other.

This situation can easily be understood by looking at advertisements of big Pakistani companies that they train DAEs or BTech themselves for two or three years even these DAEs and B. Techs have technical degrees in hand. Companies are for example Engro, FFC, few Govt. defense, etc . We also lack these skilled workers present in bulk

So, remaining skillful people remained are only engineers, but they as engineers are designers and cannot work on place or position or renumeration of technologists. So, we lack skillful manpower to provide to these countries.

The same is the biggest reason that why big tech companies transfer their headquarters to China or India etc.

Because they have bulk of manpower B.Techs with same level of sophisticated skills ensured by their regulatory councils to work in such industries. For example. Apple phone assembly line or Mercedes manufacturing assembly lines requires a lot of skillful people eg 10,000 (like Btechs) to work in a huge process line with same skill set everyday for years to produce same product for years without thinking about any innovation or design changes (which is speciality of engineers)

You will never believe on this point or understand it, unless you hear this small video by The Apple CEO Tim Cook

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n4giig3-FY (listen fully especially at the end)

So, keeping it more short, to do some monotonous industry process work, Technologists are needed. Engineers are not meant to do such work. That is why you hear from every Engineer in Pakistan that we do labour work, same work , same day, making excel sheets. Calculus, algebra or technical skills they have attained in class have any use in industry. Because engineers are not meant to do industry monotonous work. They are here to do innovative work, design and troubleshooting etc

You can understand this in way that Engineers are on design or implementation level. Technologists are to carry on the work produced by the Engineers

Many countries have such models. For example in Germany there are such technical education degree schools and also normal engineering universities. In Germany, they are are called hochschule. You can search about it. Also in Netherlands and Switzerland, there are already such models. Normally Students who get good grades go to Engineering universities and who dun get admission in Engineering, join technology schools.

Now coming to the point of them why these Technology Engineering Degrees needed in Pakistan ?

Even few months ago, a letter was circulating in which some one said that Technologists are better than Engineers etc, etc. obviously as Industry needs practically technical people, so technologists are already practically technical due to their degree orientation towards practical than Engineering degree. Yes, In current scenario, when plenty of Engineers are jobless and launching Technologists now seems strange. But mine understanding is just that Govt. is trying to fulfill manpower needed in country especially when CPEC was announced. Every one started ranting China, that they are not using our manpower. Yes, they are not because they need skillful manpower in bulk, which our DAEs, BTech programs were not able to provide. We have only engineers, which they have hired on the price of peanuts, working on places of DAEs and Technologists.

What should Future aspirants of Technology Programs do ?

I am so embarrassed again that I have no clear idea of it. Jobs of technologists are less, same situation as Engineers. Few big companies in Pakistan hire them for traineeships or some Gov. Defense institutes. I heard few months back from HR manager of Hyundai who are constructing the Hyundai Plant in Faisalabad that they need technologists. I hope if we have quality of technologists produced, may be we get fair share of workers in CPEC.

Also as there is no thesis in this degree yet being offered in Pakistan, so students have difficulty in getting admissions abroad as abroad they ask for thesis based degree. But technologies have gone on scholarships abroad for masters by showing their technical report (which they submit of their one year internship at industry) as thesis or have taken admission in masters in technical schools abroad such as hochschules in Germany. Doing Masters in Pakistan after Technology degree is still a confusing question. As some private universities will give you admission in Masters in Engg. programs.But govt. Universities have yet to get the awareness that if they allow Technologists in their Masters in Engineering programs, who do do not have PEC number but have the required NTC registered number

More Hope

But to add more hope, you can see that Japan & Germany will soon need thousands of skilful workers to work in their countries. Here technologists and technical diploma holders will be used

For example hear from Japanese Ambassador in Pakistan. They require skilled workers from Pakistan

https://www.facebook.com/JapanEmbassyPakistan/videos/494969737975774/

https://www.dawn.com/news/1483392

Also Germany will require skilful workers as 1.2 million jobs are unfilled and they will issue 25,000 visa each year. They will give permanent residence to them. Read the news here

https://www.alumniportal-deutschland.org/…/skilled-immigra…/

Therefore, my dear technologists or future technologists, choose the technology major wisely.

Do check previous advertisements in newspapers upto previous one year at least or ask the person like me who keeps an eye on advertisements that if they have seen any technologists jobs in newspapers previously that will help you to decide your future for it in short term goals.

As most of the companies in Pakistan are not aware of the Technologists. So, we need to spread awareness of it. Whenever, a technologist goes for an interview, they ask him/her for the PEC number. Companies need to know now that technologists should be asked for the NTC registration number, not PEC number and their positions, job areas/roles must be defined in their organization architecture.So that Technologists can work along Engineers.

It is newly emerging in Pakistan with no proper job scenario in Pakistan yet. Yes, few companies in Pakistan hiring them and also if you have skills, you can have job in private technical companies in Pakistan with this degree, for example companies working in Civil construction in CPEC or Electrical generator, Solar areas.

There are looking good hopes and prospects of this field abroad now as you have read above news of Japan and Germany. I hope, some Government representative comes forward and explain clear facts to the nation, so that they can easily get the idea of it or even NTC should come forward to explain the students about its job prospects

This is just a rough/ haphazard post. I have shared my explanations & understandings. Now, I shall wait for your feedback. I will write again on it by getting your feedback on it. Do copy and paste relevant articles or information regarding it on this post as well.

Pakistan Zindabaad