1. Essential Skills of Namibian Engineers
Title Slide
Essential Skills of Namibian Engineers
24th SAAIR Conference Presentation on the 24th October 2017
Mr Evert J. Strydom
Dr Samuel John

2. Namibian Engineers Research Questions Why Study “Skills”?
What are “Skills”?
Which “Skills”?
Skills Groupings?
START
Methodology
Results
Discussion
Conclusion
END
Namibian Engineers
Research Questions
RQ #1
RQ #2
RQ #3

3. Why Study Skills Why Study “Skills”?
“…widening separation of faculty and curriculum from industry needs and expectations…” Lang et al. (1999)
“…employers have maintained that their greatest needs are basic employability skills…” Person (2003)
“…64 percent of employers hiring fresh engineering graduates are dissatisfied…” Blom & Saeki (2011)
“…the number of employable engineering, technology and science graduates continues to be very low…” Choudary (2014)

4. “The ability to do something well”
What are Skills
What are “Skills”?
“The ability to do something well”
Expertise, competency, capability, talent…
The Oxford Dictionary

5. What are Skills The Business Dictionary What are “Skills”?
“An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carry out complex activities or job functions involving ideas (cognitive/personal skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills).”
The Business Dictionary

6. What are Skills Groupings?
What are Skill Groups
What are Skills Groupings?
Professional Skills
(Soft Skills)
Technical Skills
(Hard Skills)
Personal Ability
Intellectual Ability
Personal Skill
Interpersonal Ability
People Skills
Communication Skills

7. Which Skills? Which “Skills”?
Accountability, Analytical Thinking, Application of Technical Knowledge, Attention to Detail, Autonomy, Basic Computer Skills, Basic Financial Skills, Business Skills, Conceptual Thinking, Continuous Improvement, Critical Thinking, Customer Orientated, Decision Management, Engineering Design, Entrepreneurship, Flexibility, Information Management, Information Technology Innovative, Integrity, Leadership Skills, Life Long Learning, Logical Thinking, Mathematical Skill, Organisational Skill, Positive Attitude, Practical Skills, Problem Solving, Production Management, Professionalism, Project Management, Punctual, Quality Awareness, Resourceful, Responsible, Self Confidence, Self Discipline, Self Motivated Service Orientated, Statistics and Probability, Systems Analysis, Systems Management, Systems Thinking Task Management, Teaching, Teamplayer, Technical Communication, Technical Competence, Technical Expertise, Technical Knowledge, Technical Report Writing, Technology Application, Technology Management, Verbal English Communication, Written English Communication

8. Research Question #1:
Which skills are considered by Namibian employers to be essential when hiring graduate engineers?

9. Are Soft or Hard Skills preferred by Namibian employers?
Research Question #2:
Are Soft or Hard Skills preferred by Namibian employers?

10. Which skills are critical (universally essential)
Research Question #3:
Which skills are critical
(universally essential)
across all categories of engineering?

11. How? Registered Engineers : 1343 (ECN, 2016)
Estimated Unregistered : ± 28% (EPA, 2014)
Estimated Total Engineers : ± 1576
Surveys Distributed : 341 (21.6 %)
Surveys Received : 134 (39% Response Rate)
Surveys Disqualified : 7
Surveys Analysed : 127 (90% ±5%)

12. How?
Industry, Discipline, Age, Degree
List of 55 Skills

13. Industry Results Profile

14. Degree Results Profile

15. Discipline Profile and Results

16. Experience Profile and Results

17. Research Question #1:
Which skills are considered by Namibian employers to be essential when hiring graduate engineers?

18. Q1 - Which Skills Are Essential
Rank
Skill
Score
N = 127 (90% ±5%) SD 1
Problem Solving
95.0%
11.9% 2
Professionalism
90.6%
16.1% 3
Technical Knowledge
90.3%
15.7% 4
Basic Computer Skills
88.5%
18.4% 5
Analytical Thinking
86.4%
17.9% 6
Integrity
86.1% 7
Engineering Design
85.8%
21.9% 8
Project Management
18.5% 9
Quality Awareness
17.5% 10
Attention to Detail
85.6%
18.0%

19. Q1 - Which Skills Are Essential
Rank
Skill
Score
N = 127 (90% ±5%) SD 46
Technology Management
68.5%
23.4% 47
Service Orientated
67.5%
25.3% 48
Information Management
66.4%
23.5% 49
Systems Management
62.7%
27.9% 50
Customer Orientated
58.5%
26.0% 51
Production Management
29.5% 52
Business Skills
52.5%
24.9% 53
Teaching 54
Statistics and Probability
51.7% 55
Entrepreneurship
45.9%
28.3%

20. Q1 - Which Skills Are Essential
Strydom
India
Problem Solving 1
95.0%
73.3% 18
Technical Knowledge 2
90.3%
75.5% 14
Basic Computer Skills 3
88.5%
73.8% 17
Integrity 4
86.1%
87.0%
Reliability 5
85.0%
85.5%
Responsibility 6
77.8% 9
Self-motivated 7
84.5%
80.5%
Apply Know. of Math/Sci/Eng 8
83.7%
76.8% 12
Written Communication
82.7% 11
Self-discipline 10
81.6%
81.5%
Teamwork
81.1%
85.3%
Willingness to Learn
77.4%
Entrepreneurship 20
45.9%
83.8%

21. Comparison of Studies on Skills
ECN/ECSA
Hard
Soft
Lang, et al.
(1999)
Lattuca,
et al.
(2006)
Blom &
Saeki
(2011)
Passow
(2012)
This
Study
Problem Solving 80 86
89.8
95.0
Professionalism & Ethics 88 73 93
82.4
88.4
Engineering Design 68 66 75
78.0
83.6
App. of Math, Sc. and Eng. Know. 94 78 85
81.6
82.9
Communication 91 84
89.0
82.0
Engineering Management (ECSA Only) 74 25 71
74.2
81.4
Individual & Team Ability 79
91.8
81.1
Engineering Tools 77 83
77.4
79.2
Independent & Life-Long Learning 82 60
82.6
Sustainability 70 -
67.8
60.1
Experiments and Data Analysis 59
80.2
51.7

22. Q1 - Which Skills Are Essential
Rank
Skill
Consulting
n=51, 40 %
Construction
n=21, 16.2 % 1
Problem Solving 2
Professionalism 6 3
Technical Knowledge 7 4
Basic Computer Skills 10 5
Analytical Thinking 12 14
Integrity
Engineering Design 8
Project Management 9
Quality Awareness
Attention to Detail 11
Accountability
Responsible
Other 43.8 %

23. Mechanical Civil Electric
Rank
Skill
Mechanical
n=36, 28.3 %
Civil
n=32, 24.4 %
Electric
n=30, 23.6 % 1
Problem Solving 2
Professionalism 3
Technical Knowledge 4 6
Basic Computer Skills 8 17 5
Analytical Thinking 16 18
Integrity 22 7
Engineering Design 10
Project Management 27 9
Quality Awareness 23 12
Responsible 24 13
Technical Report Writing 19 14
Critical Thinking 21
Application of
Other 23.7 %

24. Q1 - Which Skills Are Essential
Rank
Skill
0 – 3
n=3729%
4 – 10
n=50
39%
11 – 20
n=37
29%
20 +
n=14
11% 1
Problem Solving 6 2
Professionalism 3 5 11
Technical Knowledge 4
Basic Computer Skills 18 7
Analytical Thinking 13
Integrity 32
Engineering Design 8 29
Project Management 9 14
Quality Awareness 19 10
Attention to Detail

25. Are Soft or Hard Skills preferred by Namibian employers?
Research Question #2:
Are Soft or Hard Skills preferred by Namibian employers?

26. Q2 – Soft or Hard Skills Rank Category Score SD 1 Technical Skills1
Technical Skills
78.0%
21.5% 2
Personal Ability
(Personal Skill + Intellectual Ability)
77.2%
20.6% 3
Interpersonal Ability
(Communication + Interpersonal Skills)
75.9%
Hard Skill
(Technical Skills)
Soft Skills
(Personal + Interpersonal Ability)
76.7%
20.9%
Personal Skills consists of Integrity, Quality Awareness, Attention to Detail, Accountability, Responsible, Autonomy, Self-Motivated, Continuous Improvement, Positive Attitude, Self-Discipline, Punctual, Self Confidence, Resourceful, Life Long Learning, Flexibility, Innovative and Task Management.
Communication Skills consists of Basic Computer Skills, Technical Report Writing, Written English Communication, Verbal English Communication, Technical Communication, Information Technology and Information Management.
Technical Skills consists of Technical Knowledge, Engineering Design, Application of Technical Knowledge, Mathematical Skill, Technical Competence, Technology Application, Practical Skills, Technical Expertise, Technology Management and Production Management.
Interpersonal Skills consists of Professionalism, Project Management, Teamplayer, Organisational Skill, Leadership Skills, Service Orientated, Customer Orientated and Teaching.
Intellectual Ability consists of Problem Solving, Analytical Thinking, Critical Thinking, Logical Thinking, Conceptual Thinking, Decision Management, Systems Analysis, Systems Thinking, Basic Financial Skills, Systems Management, Business Acumen, Statistics and Probability and Entrepreneurship.

27. Q2 – Soft or Hard Skills ECN Hard Soft Lang, et al. (1999) Lattuca,
(2006)
Blom &
Saeki
(2011)
Passow
(2012)
This
Study
Soft Skill Average
77.3
66.3 87
81.3
78.4
Hard Skill Average
80.4
73.2
80.8
81.4
78.5
% Difference
3.8
9.4
7.2
0.1

28. Which skills are critical (universally essential)
Research Question #3:
Which skills are critical
(universally essential)
across all categories of engineering?

29. Q3 – Critical Skills Industry Discipline Degree Experience Consulting
Construction
Op & Se
Mining & Energy
Mechanical
Civil
Electric
Other
BEng
BTech
BSc
Post Grad
0 – 3
4 – 10
11 – 20
20 +

30. Skill
Overall
Rank
Industry
Discipline
Degree
Experience CU CS M CI E BE BT BS PG 4 11 20
Problem Solving 1 2 7
Professionalism 6 3 5
Technical Knowledge 9
Basic Computer Skills 10 8 17 12 18
Analytical Thinking 14 19
Integrity 23 16 32
Engineering Design 29
Project Management 27 21 13
Quality Awareness 25 24
Attention to Detail 15
Accountability 38
Responsible 26 22
Technical Report Writing
Critical Thinking
Autonomy
Self-Motivated
Application of Technical Knowledge
Logical Thinking
Mathematical Skill 33 31
Written English Communication 28 34
Continuous Improvement 30
Positive Attitude 35
Self-Discipline
Teamplayer
Punctual 41
Verbal English Communication 45

31. Q3 – Critical Skills Critical Rank Overall Skill Category Score 1= 1
Problem Solving P
100 % 3
Technical Knowledge T 2
Professionalism I
92.3 % 4= 4
Basic Computer Skills
76.9 % 7
Engineering Design 6
Integrity
69.2 % 9
Quality Awareness 8
Project Management
61.5 % 9= 10
Attention to Detail
46.2 % 12
Responsible

32. Conclusion Research Questions Application of Results Further Study
This study looked at identifying the essential skills of graduate engineers in the Namibian industry.
Research Question #1 is answered by analysis of the results which show that the most essential skill in-demand from engineers is Problem Solving. is answered by analysis of the data categorised according to industry.
Research Question #2 is answered by analysis of the results which show that Soft Skills could be considered of equal importance to Hard Skills.
Research Question #3 is answered by analysis of all the Core Skills, that are shown in Table 31, which skills are absolutely essential to all categories. This study finds the Critical Skills to be Problem Solving and Technical Knowledge.
Application: World Class Universities.
Further Studies towards questions raised. Collaboration across SADC?

33. Thank You!