In October 2021, Bentley Systems began offering its software and digital resources to middle schools, high schools and institutes of higher education around the world. Opening the Bentley Education portal to new audiences will create a talent pipeline of young engineers focused on changing cities and systems like public utilities.

“Before the pandemic, Bentley Education’s program was tied more closely to class curricula. We were not connecting with students as much as we wanted. During the pandemic, with everyone at home and online, access to resources became effortless,” said Vinayak Trivedi, vice president and global head of Bentley Education.

Trivedi said that Bentley’s goal is to engage 150,000 more unique visitors by the end of December 2021. That will bring the portal’s total users to 1 million in 2021.

Pennsylvania-based Bentley creates software for use in designing and planning global transportation infrastructure like roads and power plants. Bentley Education is the company’s program to draw students into engineering fields that address infrastructure renovations and improvements. The company is currently developing a digital twin approach to designing solutions. A digital twin, in the infrastructure sense, is an up-to-date virtual representation of an asset, system or city that can be adjusted and maintained as needed.

One of Bentley Systems’ tools to help professionals and students utilize the digital twins approach is the iTwin platform. This is a software program that allows a user to integrate data, visualize a physical or digital object, change tracking and institute security measures. Students who utilize Bentley Education’s content can explore how to generate revenue and implement solutions.

Trivedi said that Bentley Education is currently gaining attention for its first environment-oriented competition, the First Future Infrastructure Star Challenge. The 2021 challenge, which ran from April to June 2021, was open to students at technical schools, colleges and universities with ideas for the future infrastructure industry. The aim of the challenge was to devise thoughts, ideas and innovations for future infrastructure projects. The challenge had two phases: conceptualization and design and visualization.

Submitted projects included a horticulture port that used advanced construction techniques and the Internet of Things (IoT) to maximize yield in a limited area, a digital twin to optimize building energy consumption and human comfort, and a smart water building that used groundwater, freshwater, rainwater, recycled water and smart faucets to supply itself and pump excess water to a public fountain.

“This competition was one of the things that makes Bentley Education unique. Advancing infrastructure sustains the economy and the environment. This is really exciting for students who are looking for a job and a career where they can impact quality of life,” said Trivedi.

Trivedi said it is critical to make the content in the portal brief, entertaining and interactive. He added that Bentley Education is constantly determining how learning materials can be “delightful.”

“Self-paced learning paths for preferred industry areas, being able to create your resume to present yourself to potential employers and providing content that’s local to where the students live is important. The content should also be in bite-size chunks, meaning small and interesting,” said Trivedi.

Trivedi noted it is a challenge for the Bentley Education team to share difficult engineering-focused content in a format that catches the attention of young students.

For example, say the team wanted students to consider improving a bridge that spans a dam. At a minimum, the students would need to address the engineering concerns about the existing road. They would also need to determine what improvements could be made and the costs, logistics and timeline for making such improvements. In a traditional classroom, lectures covering such an exercise could be lengthy and continuous.

With “gamification,” or making reading comprehension and quizzes interactive, students can earn badges for completing modules. They can also follow their progress on a dashboard.

“Students take a lot of pride in sharing things. We’re asking, ‘How do we make the program do that?’ We’re also noticing certain areas that people are not covering because those areas don’t align with their career choice. We constantly make fine adjustments to the material to serve students’ choices,” said Trivedi.

Other popular features of Bentley Education’s offerings are no-cost access to Bentley’s applications and connections to peers and potential mentors through online communities. Bentley Education also allows students to follow the latest industry news and trends, participate in infrastructure quizzes and competitions and interact with industry experts to receive guidance on career growth and development.

Bentley Education piloted its initial content and portal access in May 2021 in five countries: the UK, Ireland, Singapore, Australia and Lithuania.

As an example of what the program was able to accomplish in one country, Bentley Education partnered with Engineers Without Borders – Ireland to support the 7th annual “Where There Is No Engineer” competition for university students in Ireland. Students designed a blueprint for a school and associated facilities for the community of Chileya Village in Zambia. The winning design incorporated climate resilient materials and took into account social considerations and community partnership. Currently, Engineers Without Borders – Ireland is working with Zamda Ireland, a nonprofit that serves the city of Kabwe in Zambia, to build a real school based on the winning design.

Bentley Education’s team had planned the launch of its programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic required the team to adjust many aspects of the program. Some of the changes that Bentley Education made reflect how different firms that create infrastructure reacted to the pandemic.

“We are being very honest and pragmatic about it. There was no time for industries to prepare for the pandemic. There’s a realization that no one has all the answers as to what’s going to happen next. Now we ask students, what do you think? How can you solve the pressing infrastructure problems? We’re getting feedback from students in over 60 countries,” said Trivedi.

Bentley Education’s next steps will include developing podcasts for graduates and urging young professionals entering the field to tell their stories, particularly inspiring stories about women in engineering. “Let’s show their passion to motivate future professionals into the industry,” said Trivedi.

The program has faced obstacles in publicizing its offerings. Prior to the pandemic, Bentley Education had direct, in-person contact with students, student organizations and governmental bodies. In 2021, the team was able to start reestablishing some of these interactions in person.

“We have to get the word out so we’ve been doing a lot of marketing and promotion worldwide. Raising awareness about the First Future Infrastructure Star Challenge helps. Reaching out to the press and pre-pandemic connections to say ‘work with us’ has been beneficial. Bentley reaches out through education newsletters and press releases as well,” said Trivedi.

Digital internships continue to be a staple for college students who are learning online. Many companies have not seen a significant number of full-time employees return to the office.

“On one hand, our infrastructure industry accounts are not finding enough talent. On the other hand, students need access to jobs and internships. We are in the middle. We have an opportunity to bring them together. It’s our job to meet them wherever they are and whatever state of recovery they’re in,” noted Trivedi.

Trivedi said that students who have experienced depression or anxiety due to the pandemic can feel comforted by the fact that any movement forward is significant.

“Companies need talent. That is the reality. When you make progress, put that on a resume. Suddenly the student gets recognized and recommended for jobs and more internships,” said Trivedi.