Strengthening IEEE's Industry Ties

October 10, 2024

In the late 1800s, Thomas Edison and Norvin Green of Western Union harnessed the power of electricity to spark a revolution that changed how we live and work. They were motivated to push new technological frontiers and were also savvy entrepreneurs and business leaders. Together, they helped found the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), one of IEEE’s predecessor organizations. Alexander Graham Bell — himself an inventor and businessman — would later join AIEE.

Though IEEE’s roots lie in industry, many people now consider it an organization with an academic focus. We’re proud of our connections to academia, which bring considerable resources to IEEE. However, to remain a sustainable organization over the coming years, IEEE must reinvigorate our ties to industry.

We face two challenges on this front. One is retaining members as they move from university into the private sector. The second is tailoring our offerings to meet the needs of business.

Extending Lifelong Connections

Our student and graduate student membership levels remain strong. However, as an organization, IEEE needs to strengthen its connection with them as they enter the workforce. The vast majority of engineering and computer science students enter the private sector workforce after college. That holds true even for those with the highest credentials. Roughly 80% of newly-minted engineering PhDs go into the private sector, and more than 70% of computer science PhDs work in industry when they finish their degree, according to data from the National Science Foundation.

Significant changes have occurred in the engineering and technology professions and in the types of companies that employ engineering, computer science, and technology professionals. These professionals are more likely to hop from company to company every few years, while startups come and go. Today, technical jobs are rarely for life.

We need to nurture connections with IEEE members in companies, find champions within those companies, and give them the tools to show those they work with what IEEE is about and how it can provide value to their company. In particular, and especially in light of our need to attract and retain more younger members, we need to help them succeed in their ever evolving careers and be some of the best employees in their companies.

Nurturing Connections to Industry

The second challenge involves engaging the companies themselves.

Every company, even within the same sector, is different. We need to be able to tailor our offerings to meet each company’s needs. Over the past year, I’ve worked with companies all over the world to understand their needs and showcase the products and services IEEE offers. We need to follow up on these and other outreach to companies to create useful and meaningful partnerships.

If we can reinvigorate IEEE’s connections to global industry, I think we’ll reverse the aging of the IEEE population since many of our student members end up working in industry. Stronger industry connections will help us ensure that the IEEE is vital and valuable long into the future and that we are at the forefront of technological developments that benefit humanity.