Why soft skills matter for young engineers

From the outside, engineering is perceived as an industry of hard edges and precise numbers, calculations and CAD drawings. And that’s certainly a large part of day-to-day life for many readers of Professional Engineering. But there’s a growing realisation in the industry that so-called soft skills – management, communication, teamwork – are equally important if you want to succeed in engineering.

In fact, a 2019 study by Brazilian researcher Carla ten Caten argued that soft skills may even be more important than technical ones. They represent a wide range of abilities including, according to one study, “leadership, creativity, communication, management, professionalism, ethics, agility, resilience and flexibility”. Furthermore, according to Harvard Business Review, as automation and artificial intelligence evolve, soft skills and tasks that machines cannot perform become more valuable than ever.

Unfortunately, soft skills are often cited as something missing from candidates when engineering firms are looking to hire. The Institution of Engineering and Technology’s 2021 skills survey found that one in five employers surveyed had experienced recruitment difficulties because applicants lacked the necessary soft skills. Of those, teamworking was the most commonly cited missing skill, closely followed by time management and prioritisation, and leadership. 

The problems are even worse for those recruiting entrants to the profession – 46% of employers surveyed thought that new entrants lacked the necessary soft skills. Only one in 20 employers thought that new applicants had all the soft skills they’d need to succeed. Another report found that 40% of early-career engineers hired by large enterprises in 2021 lacked leadership and other soft skills. 

Courses on offer

There are, however, a number of options available for engineers looking to improve their soft skills. The IMechE offers soft skill training courses, ranging from research and development skills to management bootcamps and technical report-writing seminars. 

Kieran Collingwood, a lead support engineer at Hitachi Rail in north London, recently took a two-day communication and influencing course through the IMechE, looking to hone his skills after a promotion at work. 

Thanks to the methods he picked up on the course, Kieran says he has felt much more confident going into difficult conversations than he would have previously – “particularly when it’s related to a customer”. Some of his firm’s clients will come to meetings with very detailed questions. The course content on planning and preparing for conversations helps here.

Support to staff

But the course has also paid off when having very different kinds of exchanges too. “One of the things I’ve been doing day to day [in the new management role] is conversations that concern people’s personal issues as well,” he explains. The course gave him tools to help “handle them sensitively with that individual and making sure that they get the support that they need”.

Later in the year, the IMechE will launch the Early Career Development Programme, a two-year training scheme for graduates and those early in their careers, which will cover a range of soft skills including communication, time management and leadership.

To find out more about the soft skills training courses offered by the IMechE, visit the training page.