The National Bureau of Labor Statistics is on high alert - based on a recent report, the USA will face a severe shortage of engineers, meaning the country will lack more than 1,400 specialists yearly. This issue goes beyond the empty workspaces; as engines of progress, engineers and their products in various fields are the backbones of technological superiority as well as people's well-being and health.
To address this problem, the United States is pursuing a "Made in America" policy to encourage domestic high-tech product manufacturing and attract specialists from abroad.
America is not alone in seeking to absorb more highly skilled labor; the race for engineers includes players like China, Canada, and the EU. Business subsidy programs eased immigration requirements - tech hegemons are taking various measures to attract talent. But how do you know who exactly is the coveted target?
In the global technical field, the engineers' professionalism is determined by the quality of their designs, assessed on intentional contests. The Red Dot Design Award has been among them for years. The automatic wheelchairs, prostheses, and blood purification devices, the Award annually gathers the best engineering solutions from all over the world. Each cutting-edge invention submitted to the competition has live-changing potential for millions. The authors of those inventions possess the potential and skills to create advanced devices capable of saving lives and strengthening the country's technological superiority and are the main targets of the hegemons' fight for technological supremacy. These annual events are the starting point for active action in the future - a match lottery between the hegemon and the worker, where the experience exchanged among the engineers leads to their decision on the final destination to work and live in. The decision is always a win for one and a loss for the other.
In 2021, Maxbionic's MeHandA bionic hand won the Red Dot Award. The prosthesis became the world's best design in the "Medical Devices and Technology" category. The device can perform complex tasks intuitively with powerful motors, residual limb muscles, and built-in sensors for detecting pressure and artificial intelligence. The life-changing technology for those with limb loss or limb difference release became the promise of an entire life for people with disabilities and the final point of choice for its author's ultimate location of professional activity.
With 15 years of progressive work experience, the Belarusian engineer Yury Mitrakhovich is the author of world-recognized medical products: an advanced respirator for MAero company, a communication device functioning on brain encephalogram analysis for people with impaired speech NeuroChat, immunochromatographic express analysis system "Dx365", neuro-devices of "Neiry" and Human Element (Chast' Cheloveka) prosthesis of modern design and advanced functions. Mr. Mitrakhovich has operated in Russia for the last ten years based on his techno base "YURASMFG" in Dolgoprudny. Through productive cooperation with the leading Russian think tanks Engineering Center of High-Complexity Prototyping "Kinetics" at NUST MISiS and State Research Center of the Russian Federation FSUE "NAMI," Mr. Mitrakhovich has risen to the top in the Russian engineering field. However, the Red Dot Award started his decision to pursue his endeavor in the US techno hub - California. Mr. Mitrakhovich's Yuras PD LLC was established recently, but it already possesses the full potential to contribute to the USA's superiority in the technical field.
Mr. Mitrakhovich shared that his company will pursue his endeavor in medical and rehabilitation device manufacturing. The intention to go beyond the national frontiers, coupled with advanced skills in Rapid and Additive manufacturing and mechanical engineering, is a win for the USA in this long race toward skilled professionals and the success of the "Made in America" policy. As proven by the examples of the tech heavyweights, which initially been launched by a couple of skilled engineers - Databricks, ESRI, Oracle, etc., the entry of one professional engineer establishes a chain of economic benefits for the national budget, more jobs and Vocational Education opportunities for citizens, as those professionals often start their production businesses. The case of the reached target of the hegemon, in this case, is not the end of the story; the USA will continue to attract more professionals to fill the gap in national production chains, same will do the other nations.
A positive experience of Mr. Mitrakhovich may affect the decisions of dozens of foreign engineers in the future. The experience exchange will exist in the engineering migration cycle for decades. Based on Mr. Mitrakhovich's case and similar others, the tech giants might shift the priorities in the measures adopted in this long-last race for engineers.
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