From student to engineer: Identity formation in engineering education

The engineering profession struggles to attract and retain diverse talent. In the UK, around 35% of new engineering graduates, primarily women and ethnic minorities, leave the field, representing a loss of diverse talent the profession can ill afford. This study investigates how undergraduate engineering students develop (or fail to develop) an engineering identity during their studies, drawing on narrative inquiry with participants from two distinct educational settings: a traditional university and a degree apprenticeship provider. While previous research has shown that completing an engineering degree does not guarantee the formation of an engineering identity, our study further advances this work by using identity theory to examine how social status, identity verification, and minority status intersect to shape students’ sense of belonging. We argue that fostering the development of an engineering identity must become a strategic priority for educators in order to better support persistence and inclusion in the profession.