Problems of forming the professional responsibility of the engineer in the conditions of modern innovative activity

Problems of XXI century
Authors:
Abstract:

Engineering is currently evolving towards the integrity of the system uniting society, nature, technologies and the subject. Engineering acquires a global character, which necessitates new approaches to understanding the impact of technologies and engineering solutions on economic, political and social relations. Forming the professional responsibility of the future engineer is connected not only with mastering the standards regulating the production-related, technical and technological, organizational and managerial aspects of the activity, but also with ethical norms, willingness to take responsibility for innovative activity and introduction of scientific developments. New approaches are needed to analyze human relations and technology. Assessing the possibility and success of introducing technologies implies understanding the social context of their future uses. The emerging creative class and specialists in the engineering innovation sphere should have a higher level of responsibility. This raises the issue that responsibility has to be formed at the stage of choosing a profession, and especially when it is acquired in the educational environment. Modern training of specialists in the engineering field should be aimed at building the capacity for effective communication and understanding of professional and ethical responsibilities. Future engineers should deal not so much with the negative consequences of scientific and technical progress as with foresights, studying the future, which adds importance to the problem of forming a body of responsible engineers possessing the skills of social assessment of technology and innovations.