Non-technical Competency Skills through Industrial Training Experience among Civil Engineering Students

Abstract

In order to fulfil requirements of current workplaces, the engineering industry increasingly demands that graduates in civil engineering have both strong non-technical skills and technical ability. Students can use academic knowledge in real-world industry settings while developing critical non-technical skills like ethics, leadership, teamwork, and communication through industrial training. Therefore, among Civil Engineering students at Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM), this study was to determine the level of non-technical skills, determine the level of industrial training elements, and examine the relationship between non-technical skills and industrial training elements. The survey approach in a quantitative study design. A structured questionnaire was used to gather data from 220 final-year Civil Engineering students who had finished their industrial training. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 27 was used to analyze the gathered data using Pearson correlation analysis and descriptive statistics like mean and standard deviation. The results showed that the respondents had a high level of industrial training elements and non-technical skills. The findings also showed a strong positive correlation between industrial training elements and non-technical skills. The findings used are limited to Civil Engineering students at a single university and are based on students’ self-reported responses. In order to improve students' professional competencies, workplace readiness, and graduate employability, this study focuses on the significance of incorporating non-technical skills into engineering education and industrial training programs. It also offers valuable insights for higher education institutions and industry partners.