Essential Non‐Technical Skills for Teaming

The world of engineering is once again changing. Engineering education is changing from the narrow engineering science curriculum of the 1950s to a broader industry-driven curriculum. Today's employers are seeking engineering graduates with advanced communication skills and the ability to work effectively in team-based environments. Unfortunately, a large number of undergraduate engineering programs are not sufficiently providing students the skills necessary to succeed in the workplace of the future. In this paper 20 non-technical skills, 10 curricular changes, and seven post-graduate training methods were presented to Southern Illinois University at Carbondale College of Engineering graduates to evaluate. These graduates functioned both in team-based and traditional work environments. Results indicated listening as the most important non-technical skill; inclusion of real-world applications as the most important curricular addition, and mentoring as the preferred post-graduate method of learning nontechnical skills. The findings support further research for implementing changes in undergraduate engineering education to integrate and support development of non-technical skills throughout undergraduate studies. These changes will in turn increase the production of well-rounded and flexible graduates that are “workforce-ready.“