Exploring the Essential Higher Order Cognitive Skills (HOCS) for the Employability of Engineering Graduates in Bangladesh

Employability of engineering graduates is largely impacted by their higher order cognitive skills. In addition to their academic knowledge and technical capabilities, graduates need HOCS. Employers give a larger value on HOCS than on technical abilities. For career-long employment sustainability, these skills are essential success factors. Employability is significantly correlated with HOCS. To succeed in the job, engineers require HOCS. Technical skills are valued by employers throughout the hiring process, but as engineering careers progress, employers give more emphasis on HOCS. However, not every level of a person's career requires the same set of HOCS. At a certain point in a career, employers look for different HOCS. Starting with early career, moving through mid-career, and ending with advanced career, this research attempts to uncover those HOCS accountable for workplace success meeting employer’s expectations. Both graduates with a diploma and a bachelor's degree in engineering have been covered by this study. The majority of engineers share the same Intelligent Quotient (IQ) on an average. Technical skill gaps are easily bridged with quick trainings. The only things that set engineers apart from the masses are HOCS, which are primarily higher order brain-based executive functions. Employability is influenced by numerous factors. Only the employability's absolute dimension is the subject of the inquiry. Absolute dimension is contingent upon the candidate’s skill sets. It is true that having technical abilities is a requirement for employment. But in addition to technical skills, modern employers now prioritize HOCS. It is an indisputable fact that engineer’s HOCS play a major role in their Annual Compensation Review (ACR). The study identifies 14 distinct HOCS that engineers need. Since not all skills are equally valuable at every point of a career, they are grouped according to career stage.