Sports bring star power to engineering

By Catrine Johansson

The engineering consulting company ÅF used to be associated with typical engineering stereotypes: stiff, introverted and timid. Not so anymore. Today, ÅF oozes cool. The journey from geek to chic took eight years, and involved ignoring all conventions about how an engineering company should behave.

ÅF broke new ground by connecting its brand to major sports events such as the ÅF Golden League and the Olympic Games. Connecting an engineering brand to athletics was almost unheard of at the time. Some people outside the company scratched their heads as they predicted failure. If anyone is scratching their heads today, it’s because they wonder why they didn’t think of it first.

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By Fred Cohn

The nature of organisational leadership is evolving from a rigid hierarchical model to a more empathetic, people-oriented style. Forward-looking companies are instilling leadership practices that foster collaboration, aiming to give all employees a sense of personal involvement of the organisation’s operations. These new values are especially important to the newest generation of workers: Millennials don’t want to work within a dismissive, unfeeling corporate structure. Instead, they seek positions in companies whose leadership will inspire them and value their contributions. Read the rest of this entry »

Asia’s booming economy has created a special need for natives with Western experience.

By Fred Cohn

The boom in Asia’s economy has created a corresponding growth in its job market. Companies are hiring not just in established business centres like Hong Kong and Singapore, but in the second- and third-tier cities that are now flourishing throughout the area. Read the rest of this entry »

How employers are taking responsibility for the skills deficit

By Michelle Boyde

As a teenager, struggling with spots and puberty it is hard to transfer your attention from attracting the opposite sex to your future career. Despite this challenge, many employers see a need to target talent pre-university. In February 2010, Rolls-Royce chief executive, Sir John Rose said not enough British students are studying engineering and science, inhibiting efforts to revive industry. This is not news to anyone trying to hire graduates from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects – The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has said there has been a global decline in graduates in these disciplines for years. For some employers the goal is simply to create employer brand awareness at an earlier age; for others it is an industry focus to secure a long term pipeline of skilled graduates. Read the rest of this entry »