In addition to engineers for research, we also need engineers for practice. Today, many training programs impart a considerable diversity and breadth of content. This reorientation towards different competencies has resulted in a reduction of the practical relevance. I would like to see a renewed emphasis on practice.

Answers from Rolf Mielebacher on Engineers' Day.

When and in what context did you first hear about Engineers' Day? 
It was during a meeting of the Bauenschweiz planning group. Co-Founder Daniel Löhr introduced the idea of Engineers' Day at this meeting.

Your company is now participating in Engineers' Day for the second time as a donor. Why are you involved in this event?
For Amstein + Walthert, the visibility of engineers is an important issue. After all, many of their services make a decisive contribution, but work in the background and are therefore usually not recognized. On Engineers' Day, we can show the daily work of engineers. This insight is also appreciated by our customers who purchase our services. Of course, Engineers' Day also strengthens the image of the industry and supports the recruitment of young talent. We at Amstein + Walthert would also like to stay in dialog with young talents and make our contribution to networking.

What goal or goals would you highlight as the most important priority in terms of your involvement in Engineers' Day or in everyday life?
The aforementioned visibility of engineers* and the promotion of young talent is particularly close to our hearts. In recent years, we have succeeded in attracting more young talents as future engineers. In 2021, there were 75 apprentices. We want to offer future engineers an educational and inspiring working environment so that they can realize their potential.

Why do you think engineers and their achievements are not perceived enough in everyday life and what can engineers do about it?  
Few engineers are comfortable selling themselves. That is a pity. If engineers don't communicate, their achievements only become an issue when the technology doesn't work. The debate then often focuses on technical problems. Yet it would be very interesting to learn about the challenges they have mastered and the solutions they have developed and pursued. This is the only way to show what engineers really achieve. We as a profession need to show ourselves more and communicate more. If we have the courage to go public, even if not all challenges have been mastered and not everything has been 100% clarified, we create awareness for our daily work and at the same time establish a healthy culture of error, as is increasingly practiced in other areas today.

If you had one wish to be able to influence the promotion of young talent even more, who would it be and what would it be?
To education. In addition to engineers for research, we also need engineers for practice. Many training programs today offer a considerable variety and breadth of content. This reorientation towards different competencies has resulted in a reduction of the practical relevance. I would like to see a renewed emphasis on practice. And at the beginning of the educational path, there is certainly still potential for how curiosity about technology can be awakened and encouraged even more.

Do you have another wish in connection with Engineers' Day?
Yes, that we engineers see ourselves more as a community. I would like us to be aware of our responsibility to society and to future generations, but also to remember our professional pride and its ethics and to adhere to them in our daily activities.

Further information: www.amstein-walthert.ch