Education for Industry 5.0 and ESD: Co-Creation of Engineering Design Challenges with Industry

Since October 2022, Aston University have partnered with a leading UK employer in the industrial water/utilities sector to co-design and implement multi-disciplinary, problem-based learning (PBL) engineering design challenges that aim to address complex sustainable development (SD) challenges faced by this sector. The engineering design challenges were embedded within formal and informal postgraduate curricula. The conceptualised framework sought to develop key technical and professional, industry-desired skills in students in line with graduate competencies and attributes integral to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). This work details the participatory co-design and implementation of a pioneering initiative in collaboration with our industrial partner, outlining the context, structural framework and pedagogical approaches implemented that are crucial to developing engineering graduates ready for the Industry 5.0 era. Survey data of student perspectives of the challenge on their skills development and overall learning experience, as well as reflections from academic staff and industry professionals involved are thematically analysed. The main findings highlight the multi-faceted benefits of our approach in facilitating learning through interdisciplinary PBL, real-world challenges and industry exposure. Also emphasised is its effectiveness in providing students with transformative learning experiences, enhancing their skills, and bridging the gap between their academic experience and industry expectations. Overall, our pedagogical approach demonstrated tangible outcomes by preparing students for the evolving needs of Industry 5.0, and fostering a skilled workforce ready for real-world, complex SD challenges, thus also signifying the relevance and impact of our methodology in the current higher education landscape.