Beyond competencies: Using a capability model to characterize early career engineering practice

Background Competency frameworks guiding engineering education often separate technical and social dimensions, obscuring the inherently context‐dependent and sociotechnical nature of engineering practice. This fragmented framing can lead to challenging transitions and identity tensions for graduates entering the profession. In contrast, capability models may offer a more authentic representation of professional performance, enhancing preparedness for practice. Purpose This study examines the suitability of a Capability Learning model for characterizing early‐career engineering practice, highlighting how context and sociotechnical factors shape performance and learning. It also considers insights from capability‐oriented reforms in other professions, like nursing, to inform readiness for practice. Method Inductive qualitative content analysis was used to identify sociotechnical activity patterns from observations and interviews with eight early‐career engineers across four organizations. A deductive narrative analysis of two contrasting cases was performed using a capability model to characterize practice. Results Early‐career engineering practice was characterized by continual shifts in familiarity with problems and contexts. Engineers drew upon combinations of familiarity‐shifting capability processes to navigate unfamiliar situations. These processes fostered self‐efficacy and enabled engineers to extend their abilities to perform existing and newly required competencies and resolve problems. Conclusions A paradigm shift beyond competency frameworks toward a capability model in engineering education and accreditation systems can foster a holistic approach to engineering learning that more authentically reflects the realities of practice. This shift echoes existing agendas within engineering education discourse that support the development of more confident, reflective, and socially attuned engineers prepared to contribute meaningfully in a rapidly changing world.