EXPLORING PROFESSIONAL RESPONSE SKILLS IN ENGINEERING STUDENTS: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY
Dr. J. Kirthikayeni
Keywords: Soft skills, Life Skills, Professional Responding Skill, Engineering students study, Self Assessment study
Abstract
Technical and job-related skills are a must in the present scenario. But sustaining in the job and progressing in the role at workplace can be acquired only with the help of soft skills. Soft skills are non technical and personality-related skills that mould an employee into a professional. Among the various soft skills - like effective communication, teambuilding, flexibility, analytical thinking, optimism, change readiness, critical thinking and leadership - the ability to respond professionally forms the basis of all these skills. It is believed that, the way one responds decides the success of the task and execution plays only a secondary role. Hence, it is necessary for college students to develop this Professional Responding Skill. The students are used to informal conversation with their peers and find it difficult to shift the tone to a formal one when responding to faculty and professionals. Thereby, the students face difficulty in shifting to formal interactions from informal conversations. This study deals with the responses of 200 engineering students. Their professional responding skills are assessed by 50 questions based on various professional scenarios. Additionally, their self-assessment on their professional responding skills is also analyzed. The study brings to light the difficulties faced by students in distinguishing different types of responses. The findings insist on the necessity of incorporating Soft Skill Training as part of the syllabus for the Engineering graduates.