Innovative Economic and Managerial Activity of the Engineer: Essence and Tasks of Formation

Abstract

The need for accelerated innovative development of the country, the transition to hightech production entails the modernization of engineering education, the formation of the future engineers' ability to innovate. The analysis shows that one of the reasons for the decline in the pace of innovative development is the insufficient economic and organizational and managerial training of future engineers. This prevents engineers from making a business case for new technology solutions and identifying their potential commercial and social impact at the initial design stage. The author points out that, regulated as a mandatory, organizational and managerial type of engineering activity, the requirements of educational standards are reflected in an aspect, which leads to the imperfection of organizational and managerial training of future engineers. At the same time, the tasks of innovation of the engineer in terms of economy and management are much wider than the content of organizational and management activities. This makes it necessary to expand the requirements of educational standards for the economic and management activities of an engineer and introduce this type of activity instead of organizational and managerial. This proposal is based on the domestic traditions of integrated and interdisciplinary engineering training, which today need to be rethought taking into account accelerated scientific and technological progress and effective foreign practice of preparing future engineers for innovation. Based on the analysis and the identified economic and management actions of the engineer in the process of innovation implementation, the author's understanding of the essence of innovative economic and management activities of the engineer as a result of his indepth economic training is proposed. The results of the study will make it possible to determine the essence and structure of the readiness of future engineers for innovative economic and management activities, as well as to develop theoretical and methodological foundations for its formation in the process of professional training of students in engineering and technical specialties.