(iTers News) - Germany’s Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University’s (DHBW) 3,600 students of mechanical engineering are making a major shift in the software they use for engineering design. The DHBW, the largest university in Baden-Wuerttemberg, has decided to switch from their current technology to Siemens’ NX software, a leading integrated solution for computer-aided design, manufacturing and engineering analysis (CAD/CAM/CAE), developed by Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) business unit. The software shift will begin this month as the new semester commences.
The transition is being facilitated by an in-kind software grant from Siemens that gives DHBW mechanical engineering students and faculty access to the same technology that companies around the world depend on every day to develop innovative products in a wide variety of industries including automotive, aerospace, machinery, shipbuilding, high-tech electronics and many more. Graduates with this type of software training are highly-recruited candidates for advanced technology jobs.
“The DHBW needs to ensure its students are using industry leading technology in the classroom,” said Prof. Tobias Ankele, DHBW Stuttgart. “We are closely aligned with industry manufacturers and we have seen a spike in requests for graduates with training in Siemens’ PLM software technology. Our primary goal is to supply our company partners with a pool of graduates who have the right skill set to meet today’s engineering and manufacturing challenges.”
The ability to enhance and grow an effective talent base is core to competitiveness among traditional manufacturing leaders and is increasing among emerging market challengers, according to the 2013 Global Manufacturing Competitiveness Index from Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited. The Index found that access to talented workers is the top indicator of a country’s competitiveness, followed by factors like foreign trade, financial and tax systems, and the cost of labor and materials.
“Strong partnerships between industry and educational entities are critical in ensuring the local workforce has the skills and experience to fill highly skilled manufacturing jobs. Dual education programs can simplify the transition from student to worker status, but being able to say that you can be immediately effective can make the transition even easier,” said Thorsten Walz, manager Academic Partners at Siemens PLM Software in Germany. “The DHBW plays an important role in the German economy because its dual education programs enable students to complete their education quickly and meet business needs in the areas where businesses and DHBW campuses are already located.”
The DHBW offers its dual education programs in cooperation with industry and non-profit institutions looking to attract and retain top talents. With eight DHBW campuses across Baden-Wuerttemberg and dual education programs focused on practical, hands-on applications, students are able to work with one of the college’s cooperative education partners while they learn. Concurrent education and training means that the DHBW must ensure it is using technology that is in high demand in the market.
The in-kind grant was provided by Siemens PLM Software’s GO PLM program that delivers PLM software technology to more than one million students yearly at more than 11,000 institutions around the world.