Engineering dynasties and professional biography prospects for students at technical institutes and universities

Abstract

The objectives of the research project (2015-2017) included analyzing professional engineering dynasties as a resource for its members’ social mobility and the prospects of the entire group. Students at technical institutes and universities were the object of study for this proj ect — that part which this article is dedicated to. The study was organized in December 2015 in 2 regions (Moscow, Samara). Universities which include specializations such as training engineers in different fields were selected for survey — Moscow Aviation Institute, Moscow state University ofmechanical engineering, Russian state technological University named after K.E. Tsiolkovsky, Moscow Polytechnic University, Samara state technical University. 290 students’ questionnaires were selected for analysis. The article considers the influence of a student belonging to an engineering dynasty on their choice of profession after graduating from an engineering university. Belonging to dynasties is also considered in comparison to other factors that may affect the professional career of students. Despite the fact that the family ceases to be the leading institution for the formation, preservation and transfer of professional roles, its current importance to an employee and to professional groups should not be underestimated. This article shows that professional and career advancement is facilitated by all resources that an employee can accumulate — social capital ofthe family, gender aspects of professional culture and accumulated competencies. It is clear that dynasties cannot and should not be the only resource for forming such a statistically vast professional group as engineers, which also bears such importance for the economy. The degree of open access to a certain profession is important, at least in terms of equality of opportunity for including the most promising “newcomers”. The article presents the following conclusions on the importance of engineering dynasties for the development of the engineer profession and the labor market. Dynasties are a serious personnel reserve for a profession and a resource for maintaining high standards of corporate culture. Meanwhile a profession’s prestige, as well as interest towards engineering activity and entrepreneurship, bear great significant for all students. The payback received by professional dynasties is also important. Accumulated social capital gives some freedom to an engineer as an employee in the labor market, and the inability for “newcomers” to use the family resource creates a demand for stability and social guarantees in labor relations with the employer.