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The TMS Education Committee designated a subcommittee on Workforce Development to survey professionals in industry (I), government laboratories (G), academia (A), and recent graduates (RG) to gain insights into the alignment of materials science curricula with workforce needs. The survey project began with a charter to explore any disconnects that might exist between university materials curriculum and workforce knowledge, skills, and ability needs for materials science and engineering (MSE)-related careers, and also highlight critical areas of excellence that should be preserved. Focused surveys for each category were developed and more than 150 responses were received, including 83 responses from industry/government, 40 responses from recent graduates, and 29 responses from academia. The primary survey questions are summarized below, with choices for answers given in Table I.
* Which of the following knowledge or skills have not been acquired by new hires?
* Which of the following knowledge or skills have been acquired by new hires?
The results of the category surveys are summarized in the following sections, highlighting noteworthy categories and comments.
Results
The results of the surveys are presented in three parts, starting with industry and government, followed by perspectives from new graduates themselves, and finally insights from academia.
Response from industry and government professionals involved in hiring and training new hires:
Experienced professionals from industry and government participated in this survey, including representatives from aerospace, automotive, energy, primary materials, sustainable materials, and suppliers. Specifically, the surveys were limited to professionals who participate in the new hire process and workforce training, with a focus in the area of materials science and metallurgy. A total of 83 responses were received for the survey, out of which 57% were from industry, 36% were from the government agencies, and the other 7% were from other organizations, including safety regulators and trade associations. Most responses were received from professionals who identified with the energy sector (30%), followed by aerospace (14%), primary material production (11%), and the automotive industry (6%). A combined 25% of the responses received were from other sectors including medical devices, defense, simulations, materials informatics, electronics, and the semiconductor industry. Overall, these employers indicated that they hire materials engineers from all three university degrees: bachelor's (B.S.), master's (M.S.), and doctorate (Ph.D.). Generally, industry indicated the hiring of...