I work a lot with the University of Manitoba, and I think that has changed enormously over the last five years. I'm part of an advisory group for the faculty of engineering that is interested in what they can do in medicine, for example. Now we're trying to give them some real-life examples of what engineering can do in a completely different subject than bridges or roads, etc. That realization is a fact now, and it'll depend on the university and what stage they are at in realizing this and exploiting it.
Here in Manitoba it actually has begun. The engineers have courses in the real world in their final year: examples of jobs, how to start companies, and how to run companies. So I think you've hit on the problem, but society in general has fortunately hit on the solution as well. It's just going to be a few years until you see the product.