In today’s ever-evolving world, human society finds itself at the crossroads of two profound transformations. The first is the digital transformation, reshaping the economy and society, driven by emerging productive forces represented by digital technology. The second transformation revolves about sustainable development, propelled by the imperative for humanity’s enduring survival and prosperity. These two transformations are deeply intertwined, giving rise to a dual transformation characterized by both digitization and sustainability.

Education is an important component of the social system, inseparable from societal transformation. Moreover, education stands as a vital pillar of our social system, and plays a fundamental, global, and pioneering role in societal transformation. Education is not just a responsive component of societal change but a guiding force for the transformation, leading the way towards a sustainable and digitalized future.

While discussions regarding the dual transformation of engineering education have been held in previous forums, the urgency of this transformation has intensified and heightened as progress lags behind. Therefore, it is essential to revisit and further discuss the topic to reaffirm the necessity and significance of this transformation, sound stronger alarm about its pressing nature, and delve into the difficulties in the transformation and the pathways forward.

1. The international commission on the futures of education. Reimagining our futures together: a new social contract for education. Paris: UNESCO, 2021

2. United Nations. Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda

3. Speech by Xi Jinping at the Plenary Session of the 23rd St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Access June 8, 2019. https://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2019–06/08/content_5398347.htm

4. Guterres A. Address to the Sustainable Development Summit of United Nations. Access September 18, 2023. https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2023-09-18/secretary-generals-remarks-the-high-level-political-forum-sustainable-development

5. United Nations. Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) 2023. https://sdgs.un.org/gsdr/gsdr2023

6. The State of AI in 2023: The Year of Generative AI Explosion. Access August 1, 2023. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year

7. Aldert Kamp, Reimagining Higher Education through the Lens of Digital and Sustainable Society and Workplaces, Plenary keynote speech at the 2023 World Engineering Convention (WEC2023), Oct. 2023, in Prague, Czech

8. The Future of Jobs Report 2023. Access April 30, 2023. https://cn.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2023/in-full/