Panels

Date: April 27, 2026
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Nile 1

Abstract:
This session will address the expanding role of quality assured, ABET-recognized microcredentials in driving workforce development and supporting lifelong learning across academic institutions and industry. As technology and workforce needs evolve rapidly, microcredentials offer a practical solution for identifying talent, enabling upskilling and reskilling, and equipping learners with adaptive, industry-relevant skills.
 
Participants will gain actionable insights into global best practices and emerging trends in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education credentials. Through peer sharing and lighthouse examples, this session will explore how to embed rigor and quality assurance to empower innovation in curricula and pedagogical approaches to meet quickly evolving workforce demands. Join ABET, Siemens and distinguished academic and industry leaders for a dynamic 90-minute discussion.

Date: April 28, 2026
Time: 2:30 PM
Location: Sofitel

Abstract: As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in engineering education and practice, the development of human capital can no longer be understood as a simple matter of skills acquisition. Great engineers are formed within interconnected systems: each shaping how knowledge, judgment, and adaptability evolve. On one hand, industry increasingly demands engineers who can work alongside intelligent systems, adapt to uncertainty, and translate technical capability into impact. On the other hand, universities face structural constraints: accreditation frameworks, curriculum cycles, and the long-term responsibility of human capital formation. 

This panel examines how engineering human capital is being developed in AI environments. The discussion will explore how institutions, digital platforms, and national training systems collectively shape engineers capable of operating in uncertain, AI-enabled environments. 

Distinct perspectives from university leadership, global academic innovation, educational technology ecosystems, and national workforce strategy all support the same goal: to develop engineers capable of exercising sound judgment, adaptability, and responsibility in AI-enabled systems. Through this session, we aim to surface shared responsibilities and structural trade-offs in shaping the next generation of engineering talent.

This round table, “Human‑Centered Engineering Education in the Global South: From Access to Impact”, focuses on the specific realities and constraints of engineering education systems in the Global South, from widening access to ensuring meaningful societal impact. Discussants will explore issues such as unequal access and retention, resource and infrastructure limitations, relevance of curricula to local needs, and pathways for graduates to contribute to sustainable development, highlighting actionable strategies and partnerships that can transform access into real impact for communities and societies in the region.