Dr Michael Myers OAM

BE, MBA, DBA, CPEng, EngExec, Hon.FIEAust, FAICD
Founder and Chairman – Re-Engineering Australia Foundation

Engineer | Entrepreneur | Educational Innovator | Researcher

Dr Michael Myers OAM is an Australian engineer, entrepreneur, researcher and educational innovator whose career has spanned more than five decades across engineering, advanced manufacturing, technology, industry development and education.

Throughout his career, Dr Myers has worked at the intersection of engineering, industry and innovation, helping organisations adopt advanced technologies, develop technical capabilities and improve their competitiveness. His professional experience includes working with major Australian and international organisations across automotive manufacturing, aerospace, defence, marine engineering and advanced technology industries.

His contributions to engineering and industry have been recognised through numerous professional honours, including the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2012, recognition among Australia’s 100 Most Influential Engineers on three occasions, and Engineers Australia’s AGM Mitchell Medal as Mechanical Engineer of the Year in 2020.

Establishing Re-Engineering Australia

In 1998, Dr Myers founded the Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA) in response to a growing concern about Australia’s declining engagement with engineering, manufacturing and technical careers.

Drawing on his extensive industry experience, he recognised a fundamental disconnect between the way young people experienced education and the exciting opportunities available through engineering, science and technology.

He believed that encouraging more students to study STEM subjects was only part of the challenge. The greater opportunity was to transform how students developed motivation, confidence, practical competence and an understanding of their own capabilities.

His vision was to create authentic learning environments in which young people could experience the challenges, technologies and collaborative practices of industry while still at school.

This led to the development of REA as a not-for-profit organisation connecting schools, industry, TAFE, universities, teachers, parents and communities through innovative, student-led learning programs.

Transforming the Learning Experience

Under Dr Myers’ leadership, REA has developed nationally and internationally recognised STEM education initiatives, including STEM Racing™, SUBS in Schools™ and SPACE in Schools™.

These programs place students in authentic industry-inspired environments where they apply knowledge, solve complex problems, manage projects, collaborate with others and experience the satisfaction of achieving real outcomes.

Central to this approach is Metamorphic Learning™, an educational philosophy developed through REA’s experience and research that shifts the emphasis from the passive acquisition of knowledge to the active development of competence.

Rather than positioning teachers solely as providers of knowledge, this approach empowers them to become facilitators of discovery, supporting students as they develop independence, curiosity, confidence and the ability to learn through experience.

REA’s programs demonstrate that when young people are provided with meaningful challenges, access to industry-standard technologies and support from experienced mentors, they can develop capabilities that frequently exceed conventional expectations of school students.

Researching What Motivates Young People

Recognising the importance of understanding why these learning experiences were successful, Dr Myers undertook doctoral research into the factors influencing young people’s motivation, self-perception and career aspirations, completing his Doctor of Business Administration at the University of South Australia in 2011.

This research became the foundation for an extensive longitudinal investigation, conducted through REA’s programs over more than two decades, into the relationships between motivation, identity, educational experiences and career decision-making.

The research has provided valuable insights into how young people develop confidence in their abilities, how experiences influence their perceptions of future opportunities, and the importance of mentors, role models and meaningful engagement with industry.

Importantly, it has reinforced the proposition that developing a student’s belief in their own capabilities can be as consequential as developing their technical knowledge.

Building Australia’s Future Capability

Dr Myers’ work has increasingly focused on a broader national challenge: the need to rebuild Australia’s engineering, technical and industrial capability.

He argues that Australia’s future prosperity depends not simply on access to knowledge or technology, but on its capacity to develop people who can apply that knowledge, exercise sound judgement, solve complex problems and deliver meaningful outcomes.

This thinking underpins his advocacy for a transition towards a Competence Economy — one in which genuine capability, practical experience, innovation and the ability to deliver outcomes are recognised as fundamental drivers of economic prosperity and social progress.

Through REA, Dr Myers continues to champion stronger connections between education and industry, positioning engineering and applied learning as essential foundations for developing the next generation of Australia’s workforce, innovators and leaders.

His guiding conviction remains that education should do more than prepare young people to pass examinations. It should help them discover what they are capable of achieving and equip them with the competence and confidence to shape their own futures.