Management Education for Engineers: The case of Saudi Arabia [1]

This paper investigates the continuing education needs and career path development of engineers in Saudi Arabia. A survey of practising engineers in the Kingdom was conducted. This was supplemented by in-depth interviews with experts in industry. The paper focuses on three issues: (i) the changing job responsibilities as engineers move into management; (ii) the actual, recommended and required undergraduate preparation for engineers in management topics; and (iii) the specific topics in management of inerest to engineers. It is recommended that universities and private/public organisations should join together in providing continuing education to the professional engineer. This is necessary for the engineer to fulfil both his technical and managerial responsibilities.