Soft Skills for a Successful Engineering Graduate Career

This article focuses on soft skills that are needed for young engineers starting their professional careers. The objectives of the study were: 1) to determine soft skills of young engineers that are most in demand among employers; 2) to assess the importance of soft skills for the successful start of the graduates’ professional career; 3) to determine the necessary conditions for soft skills development in the engineering bachelor’s degree educational process. The methods of expert assessment, written survey, oral conversation, decomposition, statistical and structural-logical analysis were used in the study. A review of foreign and domestic studies focusing on the analysis and assessment of soft skills needed in the work of engineering and technical personnel in various fields of activity is made. The results of an empirical study showed which soft skills are assessed by young engineers and heads of industrial enterprises as highly demanded for university graduates’ successful career start. On their basis, an optimal grouping of soft skills was compiled, which meets the requirements of professional training for many types of engineering activities. The authors adduce the results of a comparative analysis of the highlighted soft skills, based on the assessments of their importance made by teachers of engineering disciplines, heads of departments and engineers of industrial enterprises, as well as senior students of engineering bachelor’s degree. It was found that representatives of industrial enterprises, especially managers more highly assess the importance of soft skills for the successful professional activity of graduates of an engineering university in comparison with teachers and students. An explanation of the discrepancies in the obtained assessments of soft skills is proposed. The difficulties and necessary conditions for soft skills development in engineering bachelor degree educational process are determined. The article substantiates the key role of the studentcentered approach to teaching and the corresponding teaching and learning technologies for the successful development of soft skills on the basis of different disciplines, including specialized and practice-oriented ones for the engineering profile. The authors formulate the conclusions about the features of soft skills development, which can be used to improve the university training of engineering personnel.

1. Finch, D.J., Hamilton, L.K., Baldwin, R., Zehner, M. (2013). An Exploratory Study of Factors Affecting Undergraduate Employability. Education and Training. Vol. 55, no. 7, pp. 681-704, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2012-0077

2. Platonova, R.I., Mikhina, G.B. (2018). [Professional Relevance of Future Specialists’ Soft Skills]. Azimut nauchnykh issledovaniy: pedagogika i psikhologiya = Azimuth of Scientific Research: Pedagogy and Psychology. No. 4 (25), pp. 177-181. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

3. Chevtaeva, N.G., Nikitina, A.S., Vishnevskaya, A.V. (2020). Communication Culture as a Matrix for Graduate’s “Soft Skills” Development. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 12, pp. 33-44, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-12-33-44 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

4. Chernikova, A. (2016). [A New Vector of Development of NUST “MISiS”]. Rektor vuza [University Rector]. No. 12, pp. 22-23. (In Russ.).

5. Polyakova, T.Yu. (2019). Modern Trends of Engineering Pedagogy Development. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 28, no. 12, pp. 132-140, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2019-28-12-132-140 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

6. Kotlyar, M., Gubernatorov, E. (2021). [Kudrin Indicated a Way How Russian Universities Can Enter International Rankings]. RBC. February 18. Available at: https://www.rbc.ru/society/18/02/2021/602dd76c9a79475831756c8b?from=from_main_1 (accessed 22.09.21). (In Russ.).

7. Khasanova, G.B. (2012). Requirements of Employers for Graduates of Engineering Universities. Vestnik Kazanskogo tekhnologicheskogo universiteta = Bulletin of Kazan Technological University. No. 15 (20), рр. 215-217. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

8. Robles, M.M. (2012). Executive Perceptions of the Top 10 Soft Skills Needed in Today’s Workplace. Business Communication Quarterly. Vol. 75, no. 4, pp. 453-465, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1080569912460400

9. Bondarenko, N. (2015). The Nature of the Current and Anticipated Shortage of Professional Skills and Qualities of Workers in the Russian Labor Market. Russian Education and Society. Vol. 57, no. 3, pp. 119-145, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/10609393.2015.1018744

10. Andrews, J., Higson, H. (2008). Graduate Employability, ‘Soft Skills’ Versus ‘Hard’ Business Knowledge: A European Study. Higher Education in Europe. Vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 411-422, doi: 10.1080/03797720802522627

11. Velasco, M.S. (2012). More than Just Good Grades: Candidates’ Perceptions about the Skills and Attributes Employers Seek in New Graduates. Journal of Business Economics and Management. Vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 499-517, doi: https://doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2011.620150

12. Pons, D. (2016). Relative Importance of Professional Practice and Engineering Management Competencies. European Journal of Engineering Education. Vol. 41, no. 5, pp. 530-547, doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2015.1095164

13. Ling, Y.Y. (2002). Model for Predicting Performance of Architects and Engineers. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Vol. 128, no. 5, pp. 446-455, doi: https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9364(2002)128:5(446)

14. Flynn, K., Wahnström, E., Popa, M., Ruiz-Bejarano, B., Quintas, M.A.C. (2013). Ideal Skills for European Food Scientists and Technologists: Identifying the Most Desired Knowledge, Skills and Competencies. Innovative Food Science and Emerging Technologies. Vol. 18, pp. 246-255, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2012.09.004

15. Ahmed, F., Capretz, L.F., Bouktif, S., Campbell, P. (2013). Soft Skills and Software Development: A Reflection from Software Industry. International Journal of Information Processing and Management. Vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 171-191, doi: 10.4156/ijipm.vol14.issue3.17

16. Rubin, Yu.B., Lednev, M.V., Mozhzhukhin, D.P. (2017). The Matrix of Competencies as a Tool of Entrepreneurship Bachelor Education. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. No. 6 (213), pp. 16-28. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

17. Teng, W., Ma, C., Pahlevansharif, S., Turner, J.J. (2019). Graduate Readiness for the Employment Market of the 4th Industrial Revolution: The Development of Soft Employability Skills. Education and Training. Vol. 61, no. 5, pp. 590-604, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ET-07-2018-0154

18. Rao, M.S. (2014). Enhancing Employability in Engineering and Management Students through Soft Skills. Industrial and Commercial Training. Vol. 46, no. 1, pp. 42-48, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-04-2013-0023

19. Matsouka, K., Mihail, D.M. (2016). Graduates’ Employability: What Do Graduates and Employers Think? Industry and Higher Education. Vol. 30, no. 5, pp. 321-326, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0950422216663719

20. Balcar, J. (2014). Soft Skills and Their Wage Returns: Overview of Empirical Literature. Review of Economic Perspectives. Vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 3-15, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/revecp-2014-0001

21. Balcar, J. (2016). Is It Better to Invest in Hard or Soft Skills? Economic and Labour Relations Review. Vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 453-470, doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1035304616674613

22. Loshkareva E., Luksha P., Nichenko I., Smagin I., Sudakov D. (2017). Navyki budushchego. Chto nuzhno znat’ i umet’ v novom slozhnom mire. [Skills of the Future. What You Need to Know and Be Able to Do in a New Complex World]. Moscow : Agency for Strategic Initiatives Publ., 93 р. (In Russ.).

23. Tsareva, E.E., Fakhretdinova, G.N., Zinnatullina, L.M., Dulalaeva L.P. (2020). Competencies in Engineering Education in the European Union Countries. Nauchnoe obozrenie. Pedagogicheskie nauki = Scientific Review. Pedagogical Sciences. No. 2, pp. 15-19. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

24. Loukkola, T., Dakovic, G. (2017). EUA’s Learning and Teaching Initiative – Report from the Thematic Peer Groups in 2017. Brussels : European University Association, 32 р. Available at: https://eua.eu/resources/publications/348:eua%E2%80%99s-learning-and-teaching-initiative-report-from-the-thematic-peer-groups.html (accessed 23.09.2021).

25. Maloshonok, N.G., Shcheglova, I.A. (2020). Models of Organization of Teaching Students at the University: Basic Assumptions, Advantages and Limitations. Universitetskoe upravlenie: praktika i analiz = University Management: Practice and Analysis. Vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 107-120, doi: https://doi.org/10.15826/umpa.2020.02.017 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

26. Babaeva, M.A., Golubev, E.B. (2020). «Talgenism» in the Digital Age: A Domestic History of cMOOC. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 8-9, pp. 71-84, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-8-9-71-84 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

27. Ivanova, L.G. (2018). Personality-Oriented Approach to Learning by GEF. Obrazovanie i nauka v Rossii i za rubezhom = Education and Science in Russia and Abroad. No. 6 (41), pp. 161-167. (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

28. Gnutova, I.I. (2020). From Flipped Classroom to Flipped Learning: Evolution of the Concept and Its Philosophical Foundations. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 28, no. 5, pp. 86-95, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-3-86-95 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

29. Daneykin, Yu.V., Kalpinskaya, O.E., Fedotova, N.G. (2020). Project Approach to the Implementation of Individual Educational Paths in Modern University. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 8-9, pp. 104-116, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-8-9-104-116 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

30. Manakova, L.M. (2020). Integration of the Presentation of Educational Material in the Flipped Learning Model. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii =Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 85-94, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-5-85-94 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

31. Isaev, А.P., Plotnikov, L.V. (2019). Technology for Training Creative Graduates in Engineering Bachelor’s Programs. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 28, no. 7, pp. 85-93, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2019-28-7-85-93 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

32. Dyomina, O.A., Tepleneva, I.A. (2020). Modification of Teaching/Learning Strategies of University Teaching Staff. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 7, pp. 156-167, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-7-156-167 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

33. Kisel, O.V., Dubskikh, A.I., Butova, A.V. (2020). Difficulties in Applying a Student-Centered Approach in Modern Russian Higher Education. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 8-9, pp. 95-103, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2020-29-8-9-95-103 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).

34. Sazonov, B.A. (2020). Organization of the Educational Process: Opportunities for Individualization of Training. Vysshee obrazovanie v Rossii = Higher Education in Russia. Vol. 29, no. 6, pp. 35-50, doi: https://doi.org/10.31992/0869-3617-2019-29-6-35-50 (In Russ., abstract in Eng.).