Honeywell has announced that it will expand its in-house engineering training and development programs to help deliver qualified talent for its industrial automation business. With a maturing workforce and a global reduction in student uptake of new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) courses each year, Honeywell is creating programs to develop the engineering talent of the future, including plant operators, maintenance technicians, implementation engineers, system administrators, and management. This year the company expects more than 1000 to graduate from its various programs.
     
“The shortage of engineering skills is an industry-wide challenge,” said Norm Gilsdorf, president, Honeywell Process Solutions (HPS). “Experienced engineers are retiring, leaving behind a void that is not being sufficiently filled by newly qualified talent. With a globally expanding business like HPS, the problem is magnified. Honeywell needs more engineers. For us to find them we have had to develop a number of programs, which are not only designed to deliver immediate results, but to also foster interest and desire in STEM careers for future generations.”
     
Operating in the primary and secondary industrial markets, Honeywell will increase its new engineer development activities to meet the current and future industry demand. The company has developed a progressive curriculum ranging from encouraging study in STEM to on-the-job training programs. Among its offerings is the Junior Engineer Training Program (JetPro), a one-year graduate development program that provides both technical and non-technical job skills to newly graduated engineers through classroom instruction, on-the-job training and mentoring. Established in 2009, the program graduates 40 young engineers from more than 12 countries each year. In addition, the 23 HPS Automation Colleges worldwide offer courses designed to improve students’ knowledge of Honeywell systems, and help them increase their productivity, reduce errors, and minimize downtime at their sites.
     
The HPS annual EMEA Student Competition is designed to encourage innovation in the process industry. Every year HPS challenges university and technical students across established and emerging markets to create innovative and unique solutions based on Honeywell technology and tools such as its UniSim process simulation software and its OneWireless industrial wireless solution. The 2011 competition is focused on shaping ‘The Wireless Plant of the Future’. Winners are rewarded with participation in the annual Users Group conference, where they present their ideas to hundreds of industry attendees.
     
The Honeywell Leadership Challenge Academy has been created in partnership with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and provides students from around the globe the unique opportunity to engage in sessions addressing current issues in science, technology, and engineering. The program is designed to build leadership skills and develop capabilities through hands-on challenges. The Honeywell Educators @ Space Academy program has been developed specifically for middle schools science teachers to enhance their teaching skill base and provide an experiential learning environment while sharing knowledge with other teachers from around the globe.

For more information, visit www.honeywell.com.