BackgroundEngineering education in Europe is undergoing a profound transformation. The European Society for Engineering Education (SEFI) has released its Position Paper on Engineering Competencies and Skills for an Uncertain Future (2025), calling for a redefinition of how engineers are prepared to act responsibly and innovatively in addressing the socio-technical challenges of our time. Against the backdrop of the fourth and emerging fifth industrial revolutions—marked by automation, human-AI collaboration, sustainability, and ethical imperatives—SEFI advocates a holistic, competence-oriented approach to engineering education. AimThis presentation introduces and discusses SEFI’s position as a central European contribution to shaping future-oriented, value-based engineering education. It highlights the significance of developing engineers who combine disciplinary expertise with social awareness and ethical reflection, thus enabling responsible participation in the ongoing socio-technical transformation. ContributionSEFI’s framework is built on the 3Ts - Technical, Transferable, and Transdisciplinary skills - representing a comprehensive model of competence that integrates knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Technical proficiency remains essential, yet it must be complemented by transferable skills such as communication, teamwork, and project management, and by transdisciplinary capacities that encompass third-party involvement to shape sustainable, ethical, and socially responsible processes. This competence-based perspective moves beyond traditional curricula, promoting lifelong learning and contextual adaptability as key attributes of the reflective engineering professional. ConclusionBy linking disciplinary excellence with societal responsibility, SEFI positions Europe as a globally connected leader in competence-oriented and value-driven engineering education. The presentation will elaborate how SEFI’s position contributes to a shared European vision for holistic engineering education by empowering future engineers to responsibly and innovatively shape socio-technical transformations in an uncertain and rapidly changing world.
Thies Johannsen (Wed,) studied this question.