Hartford Business Journal

8 Hartford Business Journal • March 30, 2015 www.HartfordBusiness.com (Left) Project Lead The Way students in Southington participate in an architectural, construction, and engineering program. (Right) Another Southington student participates in a digital electronics class that aims to stir interest in a STEM career path. Q&A As CT's infrastructure ages, engineering firms see opportunity Q&A talks about engineering firm's increasing workload and workforce issues with Paul W. Brady, executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of CT. Q: It seems like civil engineering firms are enjoying a steady uptick in business. Is that true? What's behind the increased workload? A: This is true both in Connecticut and nationwide. In the short term, the economic recovery is reflected in a better climate for businesses to build new facilities. Government agencies see a modest growth in tax revenues that can support starting proj- ects that were on hold during the recession. Looking at the lon- ger perspective, our infrastructure (roads, bridges, sewer sys- tems, electrical trans- mission grids, etc.) are in dire need of repair, replacement or upgrade. In many cases these assets have reached the point where it's less expensive to build new structures than trying to patch the old. According to TRIP, a national transportation research group, "Roads and bridges that are defi- cient, congested or lack desirable safety features cost Connecticut motorists a total of $4.2 billion statewide annually — as much as $1,900 per driver in some areas — due to higher vehicle operating costs, traffic crashes and con- gestion-related delays." But the most important measure is safety. Approximately 10 percent of bridg- es in the state are structurally defi- cient (significant deterioration of the bridge deck, support structure or other major components). And we have to rebuild much of our infrastructure to foster our eco- nomic growth. If we want to move goods efficiently and attract the best employees to Connecticut, we need a transportation system that is competitive in the 21st century. Q: How would you assess competition within the indus- try for the available projects? Are many firms chasing after the same job, and if so how is that impacting project bidding? A: There is still strong compe- tition for projects by both design firms and construction firms. The industry became very lean during the recession and owners are still getting excellent value on projects. Smart owners don't select engi- neering and other design profes- sionals by low bid. They use a qual- ifications-based selection process. That process may mean spending a bit more in design, but the owner saves much more on construc- tion, operation and maintenance. However, smart owners still make firms sharpen their pencils when negotiating a scope of service and price. Q: Most people would consider more work a good thing. What might be a problem asso- ciated with it? A: I think the big- gest problem is find- ing qualified staff. There is a nationwide shortage of engineers in all disciplines. Engi- neers can do well in any number of other professions. When the industry contracts in a recession, engineers frequently migrate to other parts of the country and other professions like finance and law. When the indus- try rebounds, finding experienced engineers is a problem. Q: How does the industry deal with the workforce short- age, both in the short and long term? In the short term, firms will have to pay more to attract qual- ified engineers from other parts of the country and the world. That will drive engineering fees higher. In the long term, we will have to attract more young people to the engineering profes- sion. Engineers are among the most well-paid graduates with a bachelor's degree, but engineer- ing students have to study much harder than their peers. And we have to attract more women and minorities into the profession (and keep them from being pil- fered by other industries). Q: Are there any key legis- lative issues the engineering industry is involved in? A: Our top legislative priority this year is supporting Gov. Mal- loy's transportation initiative. It's a bold plan that will mean tremendous growth for many of our members over a generation. The state Department of Trans- portation itself will also see growth in planning and manag- ing these projects. n PAuL W. BRAdy Executive director of the American Council of Engineering Companies of CT Early STEM training aims to fill CT's jobs gap By Chris dehnel Special to the Hartford Business Journal G etting a head start is an understatement these days when it comes to cultivating the future workforce in science, technology, engineering and math. No, it's not your dad's elective drafting or technical drawing class anymore. It's a trend that has consumed the nation in terms of recognizing and recruiting STEM students before they go to college by letting them test the waters and maybe even swim toward a career path that includes real-life training. It's STEM taking root. Deep roots. And Connecticut is fertile ground for the movement. Welcome to Project Lead the Way (PLTW), a program sponsored by a national nonprofit organization that is connected to 6,500 elementary, middle and high schools in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. PLTW national spokeswoman Jennifer Cahill said one impetus toward early STEM education is a U.S. Department of Commerce estimate that projects jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math will grow 17 percent by 2018. That is nearly double the growth for non-STEM fields, she said. By 2018, the U.S. will have more than 1.2 million unfilled STEM jobs because there will not be enough qualified workers to fill them, she said. It's a problem that will be felt acutely in Connecticut too. "Project Lead the Way offers an integrated, interac- tive program that gives students a chance to see if they like areas of study like math and science before they go to college," she said. "And the course of study also provides students with tools for everyday life." Or as University of New Haven professor Ali Golbazi put it, "I believe the process for some students starts early and that the majority of students, even in middle school, have an idea what they want to do in a job, in a career." In Connecticut, 60 schools across a range of geograph- ic locations from urban areas like Norwalk, Bridgeport, Stamford and Hartford to former industrial hubs like Ansonia and Windham to smaller towns like Killingworth and Old Saybrook to suburbs like Southington and South Windsor have signed on with Project Lead the Way; the stewards of the program in the Nutmeg State are Golbazi and the University of New Haven. "The goal is to provide a lot more courses in the direction of STEM than were offered years ago," Golbazi said. "The idea is to give students a chance to take four to five courses that they are interested in and the result is they are going to be college prepared." Over at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, Les Kurz, a design chief for mechanical systems in the commercial division, said he just marvels at how STEM education has evolved. He joked that his generation was lucky to have a drawing class. "Now the students are probably using 3D printers," he said. Kurz added he had a taste of PLTW when his son, Matt, was at RHAM High School in Hebron. "In addition to math and science, there were courses in things like electrical design and computer-automated design," he said. Matt is now working in the computer field, Kurz said. Golbazi said students are exposed to various engi- neering paths, aeronautics, even the biomedical field. South Windsor High School Principal Daniel Sulli- van said the old notion was to go into a field because, "it had a lot of jobs." Now the target is liking a sector that also happens to have a lot of career opportunity. South Windsor High has course offerings for prepa- ration in math, science and engineering, but the expe- rience can be as far-reaching as astronomy, forensics, marine and zoology sciences, and even technical appli- cations to broadcast news, Sullivan said. Students can also get exposure to the health sector, he added. Timothy Edwards Middle School in South Windsor is also a PLTW school. "We are trying to expand the outline to career path- ways," Sullivan said. Brian Stranieri is a longtime STEM instructor at Southington High School, touted by Golbazi as a leader in curriculum and performance. He was recently named interim principal but still wants to carry that PLTW torch. He also joked that this is not some afterthought industrial arts or industrial education curriculum. "That was 30 years ago," Stanieri said. "There is a different vision now." Southington students start the curriculum as early as eighth grade in what Stanieri calls "sequence" cours- es. They get an introduction to engineering as high school freshmen; then digital electronics sophomore year; engineering principals and integrated manufac- turing junior year. As seniors, Southington High students are exposed to engineering design and development, critical think- ing and teambuilding, Stanieri said. That is the classroom. The practical application segment can get interesting, he said. Students team-up and tackle a problem. The projects are presented in a packed auditorium. A common theme is, "Don't you hate it when …" "One was ironing your shorts every morning," Stanieri said. The answer was not a better iron. "The kids came up with something that came close to a patent," Stanieri said. "They took a mannequin and set up a heating system through it. They put a shirt on the mannequin and steamed the shirt." Another was an electronic strike zone indicator inside a baseball umpire's mask. "The students tried to talk to as many major league umpires as they could, but they were not able to get a lot of response and feedback," Stanieri said. "I think the umps didn't like it because they feared for their jobs." Stanieri said McDonald's Corp. almost bought the design for an automatic tray dispenser. "I think it even cleaned the trays," Stanieri said. McDonald's trays are not jet engines, but Kurz said he looks for such practical application experience when searching through resumes over at Pratt. "When we are hiring people, things like that on a resume stand out," he said. "It is good experience, especially when it comes to building problem-solving skills." n Focus EnginEEring P H O T O | C O n T r i b u T e d

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