Employee Survey Draft
Note: This survey represents our initial thoughts on the type of
questions to gather information we are seeking answers to. The questions
also represent versions of the employer interview questions. The
questions are currently framed as open-end questions in this draft, but
most of them will be converted to close-ended questions once we feel we
have identified the core set of questions. This survey will be web-based
rather than paper-based.
Demographics
Company name:
Your position: Age:
Sex:
Employer type: Please choose one.
Academic ________
Government ________
Private sector_______
What industry is your firm part of? Please check any that apply.
Aerospace _____
Agriculture/foods _____
Alternative energy _____
Bio-based products _____
Bio-medical _____
Chemical ______
Civil _____
Computer/software _____
Construction _____
Electrical _____
Electronics, except computer ______
Environmental _____
Health and safety _____
Industrial _____
Marine/naval ______
Mechanical ______
Mining and geological _____
Nuclear ______
Petroleum ______
Work environment ______
In what year did you enter your first engineering position?
When did you enter your current position with (company)?
What previous positions have you held within the company, if any?
Skills and Education
What degrees or certificates do you hold? What year(s) did you receive those? What institution?
Thinking back to your first engineering job after graduation, do
you feel that your education adequately prepared you for that job? Why
or why not?
If you were entering your first job in engineering today, would you answer that question differently?
How would the education you received then be insufficient for the skills needed today?
For this study, we're particularly interested in computational skills, which we define as ability to use computers to analyze, design, model or make decisions as part of the engineering practice. What are the key computational skills you need to do your job? Where did you learn those skills?
Technology
(Note: we don't ask a variant on the Emplr Interview Question on
this survey: What are the types of software do your entry level
engineers use on a regular basis?)
Can you give specific examples of how new technology is changing your your work? (variant on emplr interv Q)
How are technology changes affecting the computational skills you need to have? (same on emplr interv Q)
How did you acquire these skills? (not asked on emplr interv Q)
*What specific software programs would you consider "mission
critical" to the performance of your job and your employer's business?
(variant on emplr interv Q)*Do we need to address integrated computing
environments (NMC, etc.?)
How has using this software changed the nature of your engineering work?
(same on emplr interv Q)
About what percentage of the work-week would you estimate you spend using these programs/software? (same on emplr interv Q)
What are the pre-requisite skills that a new hire would need to use these? (same on emplr interv Q)
Are there any cutting edge programs you expect your company to adopt in the next 3-5 years? (same on emplr interv Q)
What new computational skills will be required to use those effectively? (same on emplr interv Q)
