Engineering technology professionals play an important role in supporting U.S. technical infrastructure and the country’s capacity for innovation, yet there’s little awareness of engineering technology, or ET, as a field of study or category of U.S. employment, a new report shows.

Report finds little awareness of engineering technology as career option.In fact, in a study conducted by the National Academy of Engineering, nearly one-third of employers who hire engineering technicians had never heard of ET education and another one-third said they didn’t know the difference between work performed by traditional engineers and work performed by engineering technologists.

While there are many similarities between traditional engineering and engineering technology, if, in comparison, engineers are viewed as being responsible for designing the nation’s technological systems, engineering technicians and technologists are those who help build and keep those systems running, according to the Academy.

As for a breakdown in engineering degree programs, the report found that in 2014, there were nearly 94,000 four-year engineering degrees awarded in the U.S., about 18,000 four-year ET degrees and more than 34,000 two-year ET degrees.

The committee that conducted the research for the Academy suggested that leaders of two-year and four-year ET programs should engage in discussions with leaders in postsecondary engineering education about the similarities and differences between the two variants of engineering and how they might complement each other while serving the interests of a diverse student population.

Moreover, the report recommends that the ET education community consider ways to make the field’s value more evident to K-12 teachers, students and parents, as well as employers.

The committee also examined supply and demand within the ET workforce and found no clear indication of a shortage or surplus of engineering technicians or technologists while noting the possibility of market imbalances in certain geographic areas. In addition, the report pointed out that with the evolution of new engineering systems, new skills will be required for the U.S. to compete in the marketplace.