Introduction
The Asian region is now a pivotal driver of global economic growth. Urgent discussions are thus mandated on the forthcoming demands for qualifications generating broad‐based knowledge and skillsets related to emergent challenges posed by the new industrial revolution. A survey of competencies that will be required is crucial for Asian universities and higher education institutions in other regions because a large percentage of university graduates are shortly likely to work in Asian countries.
Objective
This paper identified the future competencies for three careers that are representative of the demand for highly skilled personnel needed in potential industries during Industry 4.0: robotics engineers, data scientists, and food designers.
Methods
This study describes the insights attained through a literature review, followed by an intensive investigation of the required competencies via focus group discussions and individual interviews. A questionnaire survey was administered and in‐depth interviews were conducted to confirm the future competencies essential for the three stated careers. Finally, the robustness of the conducted analyses was verified.
Results
The findings revealed the demand for a diverse mix of competencies in the current and prospective Industry 4.0 environment. Future employers are likely to highlight multidisciplinary skills that may be categorized into three crucial groups: social, personal, and methodological.
Conclusion
Universities and higher education institutions across the world should inculcate the required competencies in students to foster necessary knowledge and skills to meet the demands of changing workplaces and promising opportunities over the next decade.
Twenty-first century education in engineering has expanded from a local to a global level. Nowadays, it plays a significant role in connecting students with the global community and raising awareness of global issues. In particular, global collaborative environments in the corporate world require engineers with global professional competencies and skills. The need to identify and assess these competencies and skills has been the focus of industry leaders in recent years. It is crucial that engineering graduates’ competencies and skills match the features and qualities required by the industry. The purpose of this study is to assess the importance of global competencies and skills required from engineering graduates wishing to work globally from the perspective of well-known Thai and multinational companies based in Thailand. It is anticipated that the findings of this research work will be useful to engineering students, faculties, and management teams of institutes in developing a new engineering curriculum that provides the necessary competencies and skills. In this way, it will also be useful to industry by providing professional engineers with the appropriate global competencies and skills, thus contributing to the economic progress of the country.
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