Australia is experiencing perhaps its greatest-ever engineering skills shortage. Engineers Australia has been working to understand the engineering workforce and the factors that influence supply and demand. This report outlines some of the initiatives that could be implemented to strengthen the engineering workforce in Australia.

This report outlines actions that schools, government and industry can take to encourage girls to participate equally in engineering, maths and science lessons and discussions, and also promote women as role models in engineering, maths and science.

Australia needs more skilled engineers to deliver on an ambitious infrastructure agenda. However this research reveals that many overseas-born engineers struggle to find work in the industry.

In the area of civil engineering, due to the local nature of many of the software tools used, interoperability problems are frequent, with few studies addressing the economic impact of this, especially in small engineering firms. The main contribution of this paper is a design...

Despite its high potential, the building's sector lags behind in reducing its energy demand. Tremendous savings can be achieved by deploying building management services during operation, however, the manual deployment of these services needs to be undertaken by experts and it is a tedious, time...

In preparing this report, Education Futures director, Deborah Corrigan, examined over 200 research articles, books and reports on STEM education, to collate the research evidence and offer answers to five key questions on STEM education.

Neuro-fuzzy systems (NFS) can explicitly represent and model the input–output relationships of complex problems and non-linear systems, like those inherent in real-world construction engineering and management (CEM) problems. This paper contributes three things previously lacking in CEM literature.

The bidding stage of infrastructure projects involves dealing with high levels of uncertainty and risks, as information at the early stage of the projects are often incomplete. This article aims to present the case study of Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) implementation at the bidding...

The lean application in construction sector has received significant attention. Building up on previous recommendations regarding lean design and construction, this study explored lean thinking for Structural Engineers (SE) to identify new, efficient and innovative ways for executing structural designs and engineering works.

Increased productivity is one of the benefits expected when design work in construction is carried out as concurrent engineering using techniques as pull planning. The purpose of this paper is to discuss whether the collaborative work processes concurrent engineering and pull planning ensure a homogeneous...

This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and evidence-based baseline along with progresses in relevant disciplines related to 3DP in construction, which will provide an opportunity to experts in all domains to understand the multi-dimensional constraints and to specify the future research directions in these...

This paper argues that universities have done a fantastic job of investing in health and medical research that has delivered new products and services in medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and vaccines. It has placed Australia in a good position to confront the current coronavirus-related health crisis...

The gender equality challenges in STEM are reflective of the larger Australian workforce, where stark gender gaps persist in leadership, pay and who shoulders the responsibility for care. However, as the demand for STEM skills increase in the future of work, this report suggests that...

The architectural, engineering and construction industry (AEC Industry) needs to focus on the early design phases. The use of Lean Design Management and Building Information Model (BIM) can be used together for reducing uncertainty and improve communication.

This paper presents an action research approach to develop and implement a framework to help in creating an improved visual mapping of the information flows between the departments of an architectural firm. The aim is to use the principles of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) from...

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry lags behind the manufacturing industry, both in terms of innovation and productivity, mainly due to its heterogeneous, fragmented nature and the uniqueness of its projects. This paper analyzes three effective processes and technologies which are carrying out great...

Formwork engineering is one of the major cost factors in reinforced concrete construction, which is not only critical for the successful completion of construction projects, but also critical for profitability. The purpose of this research is to utilize lean thinking in formwork design so as...

This strategy offers a vision and opportunity to guide stakeholders, as they go about identifying and agreeing upon the specific actions required to build the strongest STEM workforce possible to support Australia’s prosperity.

The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual model that can be used to design and evaluate engineering training programs in sustainable construction (SC). There were five skills identified as necessary for the future engineer, among them, two stand out: teamwork (collaborative) and...

This paper reports on an on-going action research study on waste in the structural design process (SDP). To understand the waste types and their effects, the lean tool, value stream mapping (VSM), has been deployed in the doctoral study.

This research reports on key findings from an international investigation into what others are doing around the world in OECD countries to engage young people, particularly girls, in STEM.

The concept of ‘STEM’ (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) has influenced many education and workforce strategies and policies. Generally, the focus has been on how the school and university sectors can help equip the workforce with the STEM-related skills and knowledge considered necessary for the...

The generality of the umbrella term 'STEM' as a synonym for a diverse group of skills and academic fields poses various problems in terms of workforce planning and targeted interventions. This summary brings together findings from NCVER research investigating educational and occupational concepts and their...

A new report by the Office of the Chief Scientist provides the first detailed analysis of Australia’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) trained workforce. By investigating the demographics, industries, occupations and salaries of STEM workers, the report is a valuable resource for students, teachers...

For many years, lean production has been successfully applied in large companies producing high volumes of standardized products. The aim of this paper is to examine the evolution of lean principles with the primary goal of converging towards a new set of principles that are...