An Australian study of generic competencies required by engineers

Engineering curricula have expanded in recent decades. In addition to science and technical engineering, they now include several non-technical competencies. This is a trend reinforced by programme accreditation. The authors take the viewpoint that it is important to ensure that graduates have the competencies they will require for their work. The following question is addressed: What are the generic competencies that engineers graduating in Australia require for their work as engineers? Competencies were identified from a broad range of literature and then rated by 300 established engineers for importance to their jobs. The results indicated that non-technical, attitudinal and technical competencies were perceived to be important. Eleven competency factors were revealed empirically. Profiles of these competency factors among graduates would assist evaluation and improvement of engineering programmes. This is the first quantitative study conducted in Australia that encompassed all engineering disciplines and focused on established engineers rather than recent graduates.

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