Siemens' New Microcredential Transforms Early Career Engineers into Industry-Ready Professionals

The job market is tougher than ever, especially for new engineers. According to US economic research^[1], the unemployment rate for recent university graduates hit 5.8% in the first quarter of 2025, well above the national average and the highest this figure has been in four years.

New professionals today are often met with entry-level job postings demanding multiple years of experience. Few applications lead to interviews, a large percentage end in automated rejections, and an even larger number of openings close quietly, even before applications are reviewed. 

What's contributing to the current state of the engineering job market? There are numerous factors at play here, and employers could list a myriad of reasons. A slowing global economy, resulting in tighter hiring budgets and consolidated roles; as well as AI and automation workflows taking over tasks that would otherwise be assigned to junior employees. 

The bottom line is, there are fewer entry-level roles. But here's the twist: Employers are also eager to find the perfect match for these limited openings. According to a recent study by ManpowerGroup, 74% of employers report struggling to find skilled talent to fill open positions^[2]. At the same time, another report projects these roles to remain unfilled through at least 2030^[3]. 

The demand for engineering skills is increasing, but so is the skill gap. Companies looking to remain relevant in an ever-evolving market require a workforce with the right mix of education and industry-verified skills that'll add value right off the bat. Developing these skills as an early-career engineer requires structured practices in real-world scenarios. 

Against this backdrop, Siemens recently launched its microcredential, "Expedite - Skills for Industry", a four-course path to industry readiness, offering marketable skills such as product lifecycle management, sustainable engineering, project management, AI tools, using the digital twin, and more. It connects classroom theory with industry practices that enable you to provide the value employers currently seek from new hires. 

Start the free course here.

What to Expect from Expedite - Skills for Industry

Expedite - Skills for Industry focuses on empowering students and early-career engineers with the skills required to thrive in today's dynamic engineering environment. This microcredential ensures industry readiness by offering content that helps you develop practical skills, such as cross-functional collaboration, business process optimization, risk management, and more. 

Just like a new employee at Siemens, you'll experience everything from onboarding to understanding how to apply technical knowledge to real-world business contexts. 

Expedite - Skills for Industry contains four comprehensive courses that define modern industry practices. Each course is designed to help you develop foundational industry knowledge and address the skills gap. 

Course 1: Industry Foundations:

Industry Foundations offers an immersive experience where learners assume the role of a new employee in NGenius Engineering, a fictitious company that provides a real-world overview of modern engineering practices. It includes a series of simulated real-world tasks you may encounter in a new engineering role. Upon completion of this course, you'll develop actionable insights into the day-to-day experience of a new employee and the foundational skills needed to excel.

Course 2: EDA explained:

The second course in the Siemens Expedite - Skills for Industry microcredential introduces you, the new hire, to Electronic Design Automation (EDA), a crucial industry skill companies employ for digital designs and accelerating time to market. Although EDA has its foundation in the Electronics Engineering field, the overall concept and practices are valuable for designing complex systems across various engineering industries. 

Course 3: Design and Manufacturing:

The third course covers product lifecycle management (PLM) systems and strategies. It enables you to learn design and manufacturing in the same workflow that companies use: from product development to manufacturing, and even project planning, risk management, and sustainability.

Course 4: Future of Industry:

Future of Industry equips you with the skills and knowledge to thrive and adapt to the ever evolving and interconnected future of the engineering industry. This course examines how modern technologies (e.g., artificial intelligence) shape innovation. It also covers the importance of integrating digital transformation tools in engineering workflows, cross-functional collaboration, and ethical AI deployment. 

You'll need to complete all four courses to receive the Siemens Expedite - Skills for Industry microcredential. 

Begin the journey here.

What Sets Expedite - Skills for Industry Apart

Expedite - Skills for Industry is built on Siemens' rich, firsthand experience working with 90% of the world's top industrial companies.

"From the industry side, we saw that companies aren’t going to be able to digitally transform if they can’t find the talent. And there’s both a quantity and a quality gap." Dora Smith, senior director of Future Workforce and Academic Strategy atSiemens Digital Industries Software, explained in an interview with Machine Designs^[4].

This deep industry insight is the foundation of each course in Siemens' new microcredential. 

Expedite - Skills for Industry is also the first Siemens microcredential that empowers students and early-career engineers with the skills to leverage new technologies, like AI and the digital twin, and apply them in real-world scenarios. However, its real value is that industry leaders who understand the current demand for engineering skills recognize its credibility. 

According to Craig Downing ^[5], Head of the Department of Engineering Management, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, "Credentials like Expedite – Skills for Industry send a signal to potential employees that a student is willing to do the things that are necessary to make them the most value-added engineer to those organizations…. It's an objective verification that you have mastered this body of knowledge."

How Expedite - Skills for Industry Works

Expedite - Skills for Industry provides access to all four courses online, through Coursera, a global learning platform. Upon completing the fourth course, you'll receive an assessment that mirrors a one-year performance evaluation. Remember, you must complete each course to receive the verifiable digital badge.

You can add this badge to your resume, portfolio, or LinkedIn profile to attract organizations and hiring managers searching for talent with industry-ready skills.

Final Thoughts

In engineering, the only constant is change. New technologies emerge frequently, and industry practices must adapt to keep up with new trends. Similarly, employer expectations become more complex as organizations look to digitally transform. For example, employers who once sought textbook engineers are now seeking candidates who can leverage new technologies like AI to add immediate industry value.

Siemens Expedite - Skills for Industry prepares you for today's challenges, while also giving you the ability to adapt to the dynamic engineering environment. 

Start the free course now.

References

[1] Federal Reserve Bank of New York. The labor market for recent college graduates [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://www.newyorkfed.org/research/college-labor-market#--:explore:unemployment

[2] Manpower Group. 2025 global talent shortage [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://go.manpowergroup.com/talent-shortage

[3] Boston Consulting Group and SAE International. The US needs more engineers. What's the solution? [Internet]. 2023. Available from: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/addressing-the-engineering-talent-shortage

[4] Machine Design. Master digital transformation: Microcredential addresses digital skills in engineering [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://www.machinedesign.com/automation-iiot/video/55298976/siemens-master-digital-transformation-microcredential-addresses-digital-skills-in-engineering

[5] Siemens. Expedite -Skills for Industry [Internet]. 2025. Available from: https://www.sw.siemens.com/en-US/academic/expedite-microcredential/