Socially Inclusive Engineering (SIE) for Sustainable Development

Engineering involves directly and indirectly in development projects that cater to different categories of beneficiaries with various social identities, such as gender, age, ethnicity, religion, disability, and class and, therefore, diverse needs. Hence, to be inclusive and successful, the investments made in projects should address the diverse needs of every category of beneficiaries.  This is called social inclusion in interventions, which is a critical requirement in engineering designs and operations in any project. Failed social inclusion in engineering produces unusable outcomes for the beneficiaries regardless of its technical accuracy and investment size.  Engineers lack opportunities for capacity building in Socially Inclusive Engineering (SIE) even though it is a critical competency that engineers should possess to produce equitable and usable engineering products. This course aims to provide opportunities for engineers to develop competency in Socially Inclusive Engineering (SIE).

For whom?

This program suits engineers at any level in development projects, and engineering students

Duration:

Tailor-made (Ranging from 01 to 03 days)

Contents:

1. Introduction to Inclusive Development: meaning and principles of Inclusive Development
2. Engineering is a critical area of development, and engineers are development actors: the competency and personality of an engineer to play a role in the development
3. The global framework of development: principles and major theories of development
4. The principles and theories of social inclusion
5. Methods of social inclusion in engineering assessment: a critical analysis of an actual engineering project with regard to social inclusion

Feedback from those who participated before:

“I was a participant in the three-day training program conducted by GENINDE consultants on " Inclusive engineering for Sustainable Development". It was one of the most valuable educational exposures I have ever gotten in my life as a Senior Engineer.  Though we are technically well trained, we hardly get chances to deliberately discuss social responsibility in Engineering and to include social diversity in our technical designs. That’s because we are highly trained in technical aspects but hardly trained in social aspects of Engineering. So, this program opened my eyes to see a critical area of Engineering.

I recommend this program for engineers at any level: from student level to senior level. The program content is simple, easy to understand, and applicable to our engineering practices.

Sandya  Liyanaaarachchi, Senior Civil Engineer

“As a Civil Engineering student, it was a great opportunity that I got to participate in the session on Social Sensitivity in Engineering, conducted by Dr. Nishadi from GENINDE consultants.  The session opened my eye to see clearly how socially insensitive engineering fail even in massive projects with high investments. I learned that accepting and respecting diversity in my social surroundings can help me to grow further as an Engineer and a person”.

Semini Abeykoon, Student, Sri Jayawardhana University, Sri Lanka

“Out of many sessions that I have participated in at the university during the last few years, the most eye-opening session was “Inclusive Engineering for sustainable development”.  That session was about the importance of being sensitive to social diversity in the engineering profession. It truly inspired me to think deeper about our own social values and the impact we wanted to have as Engineers. It was the first time that felt the weight of the profession I had chosen in relation to the development of society. I wish all my colleagues get the opportunity to participate in this session soon”. 

Tinaya Wijethunge

Student, Sri Jayawardhana University, Sri Lan