DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14483/23448393.19289Published:
2023-10-02Issue:
Vol. 28 No. 3 (2023): September-DecemberSection:
Mechanical EngineeringRequerimientos de habilidades blandas en el sector de ingeniería: el caso de la industria de ingeniería mecánica
Soft Skills Requirements for the Engineering Sector: The Case of the Mechanical Engineering Industry
Keywords:
soft skills, soft skills requirements in businesses, soft skills in engineering (en).Keywords:
habilidades blandas, requerimientos empresariales de habilidades blandas, habilidades blandas en ingeniería (es).Downloads
Abstract (es)
Contexto: Actualmente, existe una gran demanda de profesionales con habilidades blandas altamente desarrolladas, pero no hay claridad sobre cuáles son. El propósito de este artículo es determinar cuáles son las habilidades blandas que se requieren en diferentes niveles organizacionales en el sector de la ingeniería mecánica.
Método: Se diseñó y aplicó una encuesta a 81 ingenieros mecánicos egresados de la Universidad de Pamplona. El instrumento evaluó el nivel de desarrollo de 10 habilidades blandas en el pregrado, así como el nivel requerido para un primer empleo y para un cargo técnico y uno gerencial. Las herramientas estadísticas utilizadas fueron la prueba bilateral de Kolmogórov-Smirnov, la mediana, la moda, el ANOVA de Kruskall-Wallis, y la prueba post hoc de Games-Howell.
Resultados: Se encontró que el nivel de formación de habilidades blandas es aceptable (Me=3), específicamente para las habilidades de creatividad, negociación y comunicación no verbal, mientras que las de exponer frente a diferentes audiencias, pensamiento crítico, reconocimiento, responsabilidad, integridad y humildad demuestran un mayor desarrollo (bueno, Me=4). Por otro lado, la escritura de informes, la competencia emocional y el pensamiento crítico son las habilidades más importantes (Me=5) para el primer empleo. Para asenso a posiciones técnicas, se requiere además habilidades relacionadas con exponer ante diferentes audiencias, el reconocimiento de los miembros del equipo de trabajo y liderazgo. Para cargos gerenciales, se requiere también la integridad, el lenguaje no verbal, la negociación, la supervisión y el emprendimiento (Me=5).
Conclusiones: Debe potenciarse la comunicación escrita, la competencia emocional y el pensamiento crítico para dar mayor competitividad al recién egresado. En relación con los cargos técnicos y gerenciales, se necesita un mayor desarrollo de todas las 10 habilidades blandas investigadas. Los programas de pregrado y postgrado deben incluir estos nuevos requerimientos empresariales en sus currículos para incrementar la competitividad de sus egresados.
Abstract (en)
Context: There is currently a high demand of professionals with highly developed soft skills, but there is no clarity about which ones. The purpose of this article is to determine which soft skills are required at different organizational levels in the mechanical engineering sector.
Methods: A survey was designed and applied to 81 mechanical engineers graduated from Universidad de Pamplona. The instrument evaluated the level of development of 10 soft skills in the undergraduate program, in addition to the level required for an entry-level job as well as for a technical and an executive position. The statistical tools employed were the bilateral Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the median, the mode, a Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA, and a Games-Howell post hoc test.
Results: The training level regarding soft skills was found to be acceptable (Me=3), specifically for creativity, negotiation, and nonverbal communication skills, while those related to presenting before audiences, critical thinking, recognition, responsibility, integrity, and humility show greater development (good, Me=4). On the other hand, report writing, emotional competencies, and critical thinking are the most important skills (Me=5) for an entry-level job. To ascend to technical positions, those related to presenting before different audiences, the recognition of team members, and leadership are required. For managerial positions, nonverbal language, negotiation, supervision, and entrepreneurship skills are also required (Me=5).
Conclusions: Written communication, emotional competencies, and critical thinking should be bolstered in order to provide alumni with higher competitiveness. As for technical and managerial positions, a higher development of the ten analyzed soft skills is needed. Undergraduate and graduate programs should include these new business requirements in their curricula in order to increase the competitiveness of their alumni.
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