Soft Skills Competency Report

From EGBC: Tips-for-Improving-Your-PEng-Application-Well-written-competency-examples-Handout

Activity Overview

As part of your professional development in this course, you will prepare a Competency Report focused on selected Engineers Canada’s graduate attributes (GAs). These attributes are expected of all graduates from accredited Canadian engineering programs, including our Chemical and Biological Engineering program at UBC.

Engineers Canada has defined 12 Graduate Attributes [1, 2] that form the foundation of an engineering education. Accreditation of Canadian engineering programs ensures that graduates have achieved these competencies. This means that graduates of accredited programs, such as CHBE at UBC, are not required to write the technical examination when applying for professional licensure (P.Eng.). [3] Within 12 months of graduation, you are also eligible to apply as an Engineer-in-Training (E.I.T.) at no cost, [4] a first step toward earning the P.Eng. designation. One of the key requirements in this pathway in British Columbia is the submission of a Competency Report [5] to Engineers and Geoscientists BC (EGBC), which evaluate your readiness for professional practice.

Competency Reports and Structure

Competency Report, as outlined by EGBC, requires engineers to describe their experiences in relation to 37 professional competencies. Each report is written using the following SAO format:

  • Situation: “A brief overview of a specific situation or problem. The same situation can be used to cover multiple Key Competencies.”
  • Action: “The actions that you took in response to the situation, including engineering judgments made or solutions found. This section is typically the longest portion of the example and should include details about the specific actions that you took that demonstrate completion of the key competency. Please be specific about your individual work and contributions – use of the word “I”, rather than we, is encouraged. Point form is permitted.”
  • Outcome: “The impact that your actions, solutions or judgments generated.”
  • Self-Assessment Rating: “The level on the Competency Rating Scale that you believe that you demonstrated in the example.” For rating (0: incompetent – 5: fully competent), please use the following rubric [ref 5, pgs 7-9].

 

Competency level Short Description
0 Little or no exposure to the competency
1 Training Level: A general appreciation and awareness of the competency is required
2 At a level of limited experience; Carries out activities of limited scope and complexity; Requires knowledge and understanding of objectives
3 Approaching a professional level; Carries out activities of moderate complexity.
4 Working at a professional level; carries out responsible and varied activities
5 At a mature professional level; Independent coordination of difficult and responsible activities

From EGBC: Tips-for-Improving-Your-PEng-Application-Well-written-competency-examples-Handout

This document contains strong and weak examples of how to report your competencies. You may use the competency report template available on Canvas to draft your report before final submission.

Rationale for This Activity

Evidence from engineering education literature consistently shows that soft skills are as essential as technical knowledge for successful engineers. [6] Skills such as communication, professionalism, teamwork, lifelong learning, and ethical awareness not only influence employability but also define long-term career effectiveness.

Since your technical competencies are assessed through exams, assignments, and projects throughout your CHBE program, this activity will focus on the professional and transferable skills that align with Engineers Canada’s graduate attributes.

As you prepare your competency report, it will:

  • Help you practice preparing competency reports similar to those required by EGBC for professional licensure.
  • Encourage critical reflection on the development of soft skills throughout your undergraduate program.
  • Provide valuable data for a project on assessing soft skills in engineering education.

 

References