Learning Engineering Practice

by James Trevelyan

Overview

This is an essential, easy-to-read guide for students, early-career engineers, supervisors and human resources professionals, written by the world's leading authority on global engineering practices with decades of research, 40 years teaching engineering, and 50 years working as a professional engineer in several countries.

This guide will teach essential engineering soft skills and specialized capabilities to work as an engineer that universities cannot teach. The author also explores how to gain a job as a new engineer and delves into how engineers gain access to informal technical knowledge, the experience of other engineers, how to gain the willing collaboration of others to make things happen, and how to work safely in hazardous environments. The book also lists effective ways to use the latest digital collaboration tools and artificial intelligence apps, how to estimate costs, generate commercial value, and develop cost-effective sustainable solutions. Lastly, it shows how to understand and navigate the complex working systems and social cultures of engineering firms in a globalized market for engineering services.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781040802823
Publisher:	CRC Press
Publication date:	12/29/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192

About the Author

Emeritus Professor James Trevelyan is an engineer, educator, researcher and start-up entrepreneur. He invented Coolzy, new energy saving, low emissions air conditioning technology for a global market. The world’s leading authority on engineering practices, he helped define the Engineers Australia professional competencies for chartered engineers. His books are influencing the future of engineering education worldwide. He is best known internationally for pioneering research on sheep shearing robots from 1975 till 1993 and for the first industrial robot that could be remotely operated via the internet in 1994, one of the earliest demonstrations of the ‘internet of things’. He also made significant contributions to help with the removal of anti-personnel landmines and other unexploded ordnance in many countries. His research has shown how engineers could help eliminate widespread poverty in the Global South and accelerate progress towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Table of Contents

0 Front Matter Part 1 - Preparations for an engineer 1 Engineering: doing more with less 2 Engineering practice 3 Seeking paid engineering work 4 Neglected perception skills 5 Listening 6 Reading documents 7 Reading people 8 Seeing and creativity. Part 2 - Workplace learning 9 Learning the ropes 10 Engineering knowledge 11 Knowledge is a social network 12 Making things happen 13 Working safely 14 Making big things happen 15 Generating value in the enterprise 16 Estimating costs 17 Navigating social culture 18 Sustainability 19 Time management 20 Frustrations Epilogue - next steps End Matter I Epilogue - Next Steps End Matter II Appendix