From boyhood tinkering with radios to leading a global engineering education enterprise, Dr. Steve Mackay, Dean of Engineering at the Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT), has been driven by an abiding love for engineering and education. His journey shows how education, when student-focused and industry-connected, becomes a powerful force for change.
Early Sparks: A Childhood Wired for Wonder
For Dr. Steve Mackay, the seed of engineering was planted early; by his grandmother no less. At just six years old, he received two books that would shape his life’s direction: The Boy Electrician, and Wireless for Beginners. They weren’t just books, they were gateways.
“I’ve always been passionate about science,” he recalls. “Maths, chemistry, biology… but electrical engineering just grabbed me.”
His home life nurtured that curiosity. “My father helped me build a lab in our home,” he says, a testament to the value of encouragement in a child’s intellectual development.
Growing up in apartheid-era South Africa, Steve acknowledges he had structural privileges others didn’t.
“I came from a country where one race was favored. I had unfair advantages, and I’m deeply aware of that.” Yet, it’s this consciousness of opportunity, injustice, and the power of education that would later fuel his global mission.
His belief is uncompromising: “Any fool who thinks they can make an engineer out of someone who’s only just entered university is a little bit deranged.”
Passion, he argues, begins young and must be fed consistently.
From Consultancy Chaos to a Defining Calling
Though Steve’s early career was defined by working in engineering and garnering experience globally, a pivotal moment came in the early 1990s. He was asked to design an automated offshore platform using what would now be recognized as technologies associated with the emerging Internet of Things (IoT).
“I was flattered, honestly. I didn’t know much at first,” he says.
But the project turned into an eye-opening success. Soon afterwards, a colleague suggested he run a course on it. The idea seemed ludicrous; “I said to him, are you mad?’” he laughs.
The first course was a chaotic mess. They were still writing materials as participants arrived. Yet, to his shock, the feedback was glowing. “We expected 20, but over 60 turned up, and they loved it.”
That accidental launch became the foundation for hundreds of courses offered across Australia and then the globe. It marked a turning point; his transition from engineer to engineering educator, entrepreneur, and ultimately visionary.
“That moment was the genesis of what would become the Engineering Institute of Technology.”
Student-Centered Learning with a Global Soul
The Engineering Institute of Technology (EIT), which now enrolls over 6,000 students (in over 150 countries) is built on a deceptively simple mantra: “Treat your student as sovereign.”
As Dean of Engineering, Steve leads with that philosophy.
He picked it up from an unlikely source (South Africa’s Pick ‘n Pay supermarket mogul Raymond Ackerman) during his business studies.
“If you focus on your customer and deliver the best possible value, success follows,” Ackerman had said, and Steve took that principle and made it the foundation of EIT.
Today, that customer-first approach translates into highly personalized, industry-focused education.
Most EIT students are already working as artisans, technicians and engineers; this shapes the Institute’s practical, job-ready curriculum. Even in conflict zones like Sudan, Steve has seen the hunger for quality learning.
“One of our instructors flew into Khartoum and told me, ‘I’ve never had such insightful students.’” he beams. “Never underestimate where talent and brilliance can emerge.”
Building Bridges from Theory to Practice
Steve is a vocal critic of the traditional university model, which he feels often overemphasizes theory at the cost of real-world readiness.
He’s not afraid to say it bluntly: “I did a four-year degree; great theory, but I was useless in my first job.”
His revelation came early in his career, after joining a diamond mining company.
“They said, ‘We’ll now teach you the real skills.’ I was distraught.” That gap between education and application has haunted him since, and fueled his commitment to job-ready training.
At EIT, strong industry ties are central. “Most of our students are already working in industry,” he says. “But for those straight out of school, getting them industry-ready is incredibly tough. We have to be aggressive – seminars, meetings, networking, site visits, internships – all of it matters.”
It’s a lesson he believes applies to all of higher education: institutions must be judged not just by the degrees they confer, but by how employable and effective their graduates are.
Keep Moving: The Edge of Chaos Beckons
For someone who’s taught engineers at NASA and Rolls-Royce, Steve remains remarkably humble … and remarkably restless.
“I always feel like I’m running at 100 miles an hour, being chased by a big dog,” he laughs. “If I stop innovating, it’ll catch me.”
He cites Intel’s Andy Grove: “Only the paranoid survives.” That philosophy drives EIT’s obsession with innovation, particularly as AI transforms the job landscape.
One of their current projects? Analyzing hundreds of thousands of global job ads to detect emerging skills in demand.
“You’ve got to operate at the edge of chaos,” he says. “Most ideas will fail, but the ones that succeed are game-changers.”
And yet, beneath the tech and data lies a more human truth. “Communication is key,” he insists.
“You can have the best idea in the world, but if you can’t explain it clearly and simply, across cultures, it’s worthless.”
That’s why leadership, entrepreneurship, and soft skills are increasingly part of the engineering conversation, and why Steve urges future engineers to learn how business and society work, not just circuits and code.
Final Thoughts: “Upwards and Onwards … Always”
When asked what advice he gives young engineers, he doesn’t hesitate: “Be entrepreneurial. Keep learning. And don’t give up.” He acknowledges the journey is often lonely and filled with setbacks. But resilience, tempered with humility, is key.
He speaks from experience. Whether navigating apartheid South Africa, facing early career disillusionment, or building a world-class education institution from a two-man office in West Perth, Steve has persisted.
As Dean of Engineering at EIT, his legacy is one of relentless progress; not just for his students, but for engineering education itself.
His parting message? “Even a tiny whisper may be a huge chorus of success in the future. Listen for it.”
And so, like the circuits he loved as a boy, Dr. Steve Mackay’s life continues to be one of connection between people, ideas, and possibilities. It’s not just engineering; it’s transformation.
