How soft are ‘Soft Skills’ in the engineering profession?

Creative Education, 2020

The aim of this study was to understand and compare the expectation and perception of 40 engineering employers regarding the soft skills in Engineers. The most important soft skills for an Engineering professional, identified through a systematic bibliographic review, were arranged into six groups, as follows: critical thinking, creative thinking, communication, teamwork, ethical perspective and emotional intelligence. The chosen methodology for data analysis was a fuzzy logic, in order to preserve the subjectivity inherent to soft skill. Forty psychologists were also interviewed and the delphi method was used to include their perceptions between soft skills for calibration of the fuzzyTECH software. The results obtained with the fuzzyfication of the data revealed that the perception of employers of soft skills in engineering professionals is not inline to their expectations in the scenario they are inserted.

International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, 2017

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Creative Education, 2022

Soft skills are very important in the job market, as they are closely related to interpersonal interactions and well as other factors such as problem-solving. Despite their importance, in some technical fields like Engineering, they tend to be taken for granted. Organizational psychologists are the ones usually involved in hiring process within companies. Therefore, the presented work assessed the most important aspects necessary to build these skills based on organizational psychologists' perspectives. Important soft skills previously identified as important for Engineers through a Systematic Bibliographic Review were grouped into core groups. These were used as a basis to elaborate a questionnaire used to evaluate the organizational psychologists' perception of each soft skill in terms of Engineering performance. The results support the idea that soft skills are important for the professional performance of Engineer and are directly linked to the multidisciplinary feature of the field. The results also suggest the urgent need to increase the exchange between market and academia and reshape the Engineering curricula to reflect the demands of an increasingly challenging and competitive job market.

LangLit: An International Peer -Reviewed Open Access Journal , 2021

In a transformation focused business environment, engineers with demonstrable soft skills are the ones who get the jobs. Soft skills are the most sought after skills in today's era and are hence termed as "21 st Century skills". The need to inculcate soft skills has become indispensable in order to succeed in an ever challenging and competitive environment at global level. Colleges are striving for creating employable engineers to meet the global demands of technically and ethically sound professionals. Institutes pan India are committed to train students in the areas associated with soft skills and English Language Proficiency. Soft Skills Training is to help students to gauge and promote various competencies of students, such that they excel in their career. It further helps to identify and assist the students who require additional support in enhancing their skills. This paper will focus on the need of soft skills for engineering students and how students with good Soft skills are more employable than their other counter parts.

Proceedings of ETAI 2009, 2009

The world labor market, besides the technical (hard) skills is increasing the focus on the so-called “soft” skills. Soft skills are a set of skills which allow an individual to fit in and successfully function in its environment. Because the engineering market is so dynamic and full of contacts with different cultures, soft skills need to be accompanied by so-called “global” skills, which ease the cooperation of people with different cultural backgrounds. But, there still remains a general dissatisfaction with the engineer’s soft skill levels, so there is a need for further development of the staff and a review of the high education curriculum.

Education Sciences

Among the requirements for engineering programs, the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria for student outcomes require students to have the ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences, recognize ethical and professional responsibilities, function effectively on a team, and apply new knowledge. A review of literature for skills comprised within these ABET criteria determined 26 topics necessary for the entry-level and continued success of engineers. Nearly 500 companies and organizations rated the importance and proficiency of their recent entry-level engineers for these 26 identified soft (professional) skills. The findings suggest that although entry-level engineers have proficiency in all of these ABET required skills, the entry-level engineers were not meeting the level of importance expressed by the organization for 24 of these 26 skills. A specific ABET required skill, the ability to communicate effectively with diverse groups of pe...

MIER Journal of Educational Studies Trends & Practices

In this fast transforming business economy caused by globalization, it has become incredibly important that employees keep on upgrading their hard skills and polish their soft skills if they aspire for a career that not only pays them well but also promises better opportunities in career development. Though the importance of soft skills is recognised in everyday life, in maintaining interpersonal relationships, in buildings strategies for success, its implications are mainly found in organisations and workplaces. Soft skills, however, play a significant role in building a career. Today to succeed and survive in the competitive workplace employees are expected to change their attitude, attention, and commitment to work. Besides, they are also expected to develop other abilities like effective communication skills, teamwork, leadership qualities, stress management, emotional intelligence etc. Competition is progressively increasing across workplaces worldwide. The need to be fit, flex...

Journal of Analysis and Computations, 2023

While technical expertise is essential, the lack of soft skills can hinder graduates' ability to effectively communicate, collaborate, and thrive in their careers. Research conducted by the Stanford Institute International in collaboration with the Carnegie Mellon Foundation indicates that nearly 75% of job success relies on people skills, rather than technical skills alone. Employers increasingly prioritize candidates with strong interpersonal abilities, as evidenced by a LinkedIn survey where 57% of employers believed that graduates with good interpersonal skills have better long-term career prospects. The NASSCOM report highlights that 75% of engineers are deemed unemployable due to a focus on academic knowledge without sufficient attention to overall development. This narrow approach has created a culture that produces graduates lacking well-rounded skills, resembling the manufacturing of "robots" rather than nurturing individuals with diverse talents. The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) stresses the evolving role of engineers, emphasizing the need for effective communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills. Collaborative projects demand engineers who can navigate multidisciplinary teams and complex professional environments. This research paper underscores the importance of soft skills for students and graduates, emphasizing their benefits in career growth, teamwork, problem-solving, and adaptability. By striking a balance between technical expertise and soft skills, graduates can position themselves for long-term success in the dynamic and professional world.

Ingeniería e Investigación, 2020

Soft skills are important for any career and are necessary to access and face the labor market. This research focuses on soft skills by exploring engineer profiles. It also determines how soft skills are developed through the study of a representative sample of 314 undergraduate engineering students from 15 different Italian universities. The instrument used is a questionnaire that investigates soft skills and is based on the Business-focused Inventory of Personality (BIP). Answers are grouped into four areas: intrapersonal, interpersonal, activity development, and impression management. Results show that these engineers have more self-confidence than the reference sample; they demonstrated a great commitment in setting job goals and pursuing projects, a good emotional adaptation to social situations, and enough attitudes in terms of problem solving and openness to change. Perception on the ability to work under pressure is in the average, and they seem ready to take on challenging ...

Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 2024

This paper examines how important soft skills are to succeeding in the workplace in today's modern settings. The research emphasizes how qualities including interpersonal skills, effective communication, emotional intelligence, and flexibility greatly contribute to professional growth and success through a thorough examination of the body of current literature. The report emphasizes how these abilities are becoming more and more in demand in the current workplace due to things like developing work practices that prioritize human-centric skills and technology improvements. The study shows that soft skills are essential for leadership, teamwork, and organizational dynamics in addition to improving individual job performance. It does this by combining ideas from a variety of case studies and expert analysis. Employers and educational institutions should place a higher priority on developing soft skills through focused training and curriculum integration, according to the findings. The article ends with helpful suggestions for incorporating the development of soft skills into professional and educational training programmes, with the ultimate goal of providing people with the tools they need to succeed in the workplace and support the success of their organizations.