Requirements

Awhile ago I took part in a group forum with fifteen young engineers to discuss ‘evolving technical and skills requirements’.  They were asked “what one skill is most important in your mind?”

The answers were: communication, compromise, versatility, listening, teamwork, adaptability, technical competence, anticipation, stakeholder engagement, accountability, time management.

Recall the group topic:  “Evolving technical and skills requirements”.

I expected responses like “design review techniques”, “charpy test interpretation”, “reading material certificates”, “weld design”. 

So, either they are comfortable with their technical skills and therefore they don’t need a mention, or, only one of them was actually exposed to technical work.