Mechanical Engineering is concerned with the design, manufacture, installation, and operation of engines and machines and with manufacturing processes. It is particularly concerned with forces and motion. Mechanical engineering, one of the oldest branches of engineering, can be said to be expertise in design, manufacturing, and maintenance of machines.
The scope of mechanical engineering includes the design and manufacturing of industrial machinery, the best state-of-the-art motor vehicles, and aircraft. Moreover, the maintenance and testing of such machinery are key responsibilities of mechanical engineers. The mechanical engineering field encompasses the concepts of thermodynamics, mechanics, fluids, and structural analysis. Not only machinery and vehicles, mechanical engineers learn to develop engines, complex machinery systems, and power equipment. They learn the application of material science, physics, and applied mathematics.
Mechanical engineering is considered to be the evergreen branch of engineering that deals with concepts like kinematics, structural analysis mechanics, thermodynamics, robotics, fluid mechanics, with their applications in automotive sector, power sector, refrigeration and air conditioning sector, aerospace sector, etc.
With technological advancement and broadening of scope, the prospects of mechanical engineering are expanding beyond geographical boundaries. With new shifts in paradigm, new job avenues have opened for mechanical engineers. In addition to all this, Prime Minister’s Make in India campaign for the manufacturing sector will encourage big companies to set up their manufacturing plants in India.
There will be a gap between the demand and supply of mechanical engineers in the near future. The demand for skilled mechanical engineers will exceed the supply. Though several new trends and technologies have been introduced, most of the colleges follow the old curriculum. Therefore, there is a lack of skilled engineers. The lack of skills and proper knowledge is throwing challenges to newly graduated engineers in finding a good job. It is the responsibility of all mechanical engineering colleges to bridge the skill gap. Trained mechanical engineers should be well-versed with new technological knowledge, coding, and communication skills.

The writer has a B Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Kashmir University. [email protected]

Rameez Mir