Where's the value in engineering?

New theoretical perspectives on how engineers generate economic and social value have emerged from research on engineering practice, complementing the conventional entrepreneurship emphasis on innovation and start-up enterprises. This research demonstrated, apparently for the first time, how most engineers generate significant economic value with limited if any opportunities for innovation, research and development in their work. In the absence of appropriate theory, students acquire limited understanding on the contributions they will make to society as engineers. Observations from engineering practice provide a more compelling research-based narrative that could attract a more diverse student population, and help graduates secure well-paid employment. Many engineering faculty share uneasy feelings that their students will rarely use the advanced mathematical analysis techniques taught in classes. Research explains how practice solving traditional textbook problems builds tacit knowledge that enables rapid technical decision-making in engineering practice. The research also provides insights on how typical engineering science research supports engineering practice. We argue the benefits from widely disseminating the findings presented in this paper to help faculty staff and students better understand how they will contribute to our collective future. This can help overcome current significant engineering performance shortcomings in sustainability and productivity growth without major curriculum changes.