Understanding employability in the context of engineering practice

CONTEXT: Many factors influence employability for engineers. The topic remains of concern because employability is central for both early-career engineers and experienced engineers. Inspired by this, the guiding research question for this article is: which factors influence engineers' employability in engineering practice? PURPOSE OR GOAL: The goal of this research is to further understand relevant factors in the context of employability in engineering by analysing data gathered from employed engineers. APPROACHES OR METHODOLOGIES/METHODS: We analyse qualitative data collected from 9 interviews and identify areas that influence and impact employability. The interviews were collected in February 2024. The data was transcribed using the Whisper software and double-checked by the authors, followed by coding in NVivo. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: Our findings indicate that factors beyond technical skills and a diploma are important, but these can be hard to articulate and are often context dependent. This makes the situation particularly precarious for early-career engineers, but also means that employability is positively affected by areas including personal experiences, attitudes, proclivities, attributes, and generic competencies, which apply across jobs and human activities, often referred to as transferable skills. Furthermore, engineering practice is not a uniform and homogenous entity. The importance of an awareness of both technical competencies and generic competencies remains foundational. CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION/SUMMARY: As this article will show, the issue of employability is multifaceted and diverse. Our research May shape how engineering practice is taught and discussed in university settings to better prepare students for life after graduation.