"I disagree that mechanical engineering should be put in the same ranks as electricians/auto-mechanics."
I'm a Waterloo MechE (of sorts, long story) and pretty sure you're misreading jarek's comment.
Ties to industry is the bread and butter of mechanical engineering (not electricians, not auto-mechanics, not technicians) - it's intensely application-focused (as all engineering disciplines are) and R&D traditionally has much higher capital costs than software, so you're practically forced to partner with industry.
When I was in school most research programs were funded by a combination of government funding and industry collaboration. On the MechE side, particularly in Waterloo (due to proximity to Canada's manufacturing belt) this seemed to be primarily automotive and manufacturing.
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I'm a Waterloo MechE (of sorts, long story) and pretty sure you're misreading jarek's comment.
Ties to industry is the bread and butter of mechanical engineering (not electricians, not auto-mechanics, not technicians) - it's intensely application-focused (as all engineering disciplines are) and R&D traditionally has much higher capital costs than software, so you're practically forced to partner with industry.
When I was in school most research programs were funded by a combination of government funding and industry collaboration. On the MechE side, particularly in Waterloo (due to proximity to Canada's manufacturing belt) this seemed to be primarily automotive and manufacturing.