Speaker
Albert Duschl
(University of Salzburg)
Description
The on-going FP7 project NanoEIS (www.nanoeis.eu) investigates European nanotechnology education practices and compares education contents to job skills that are in demand in the nanotechnology industry. Our studies show that industry expects to recruit experts in areas that are very poorly covered by university curricula, like health & safety, regulation & standardization, and environmental aspects. Nanotechnology studies focus strongly on classical disciplines and research-driven fields, which implies that students may not be really qualified in the skills that are in demand in the job market. Direct involvement of industry in university education is identified as the single most important factor that strongly facilitates a smooth transition from academia to industry. For secondary school education, the integration of nanotechnology has not yet developed an accepted standard. Islands of best practice have been identified which are implemented in very different ways, but the majority of secondary school students in all European countries is never in touch with nanotechnology at school. Better connections between schools, universities and industries would help to narrow the gap between education contents and job market needs, and could also help in reaching out to society at large.
Primary author
Albert Duschl
(University of Salzburg)
Co-authors
Bartlomiej Spisak
(Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza, Poland)
Bartlomiej Szafran
(Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza, Poland)
Pawel Wojcik
(Akademia Gorniczo-Hutnicza, Poland)