Re-engineering graduate skills – a case study

TLDR

University graduates, especially engineers, lack key employer‑valued skills—communication, decision‑making, problem‑solving, leadership, emotional intelligence, social ethics, and cross‑cultural teamwork—yet the industry demands these competencies in multicultural, multinational settings. The study examines gaps between engineering graduate attributes and employer expectations, assessing whether Monash University graduates meet industry needs. It proposes a 3‑D Competency Model to bridge these gaps.

Abstract

Research on student-learning outcomes indicates that university graduates do not possess important skills required by employers, such as communication, decision-making, problem-solving, leadership, emotional intelligence, social ethics skills as well as the ability to work with people of different backgrounds. Today, engineering graduates are required to work within multicultural and multinational workplace environments, and thus need to possess adequate professional attributes and competencies. This paper elaborates on the missing links between engineering graduate attributes and employers’ expectations. It further investigates whether the attributes gained by engineering graduates from Monash University, Australia, meet the expected needs of the industry. The paper also proposes a 3-D Competency Model to address the potential shortfalls of employers’ expectations in that regard.