Abstract:
Indigenous Australians are grossly under-represented in engineering education and the engineering workforce. The reasons for this are complex and multifaceted. There are no magic bullet solutions to increase their participation. Rather, this will be a long term task that will require commitment from a wide range of contributors at all levels of the education pipeline, including indigenous educators and representatives of indigenous communities and organizations. University providers of engineering programs can have significant roles to play in assisting growth in participation. This paper reports on findings that formed part of a wider project investigating opportunities for flexible and alternate pathways into engineering degrees. After examining perceived barriers to, and potential opportunities for, growth in indigenous participation, recommendations and guidelines are proposed for implementation by providers of higher education engineering qualifications.
