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.“