Solutions for Unified Communication Competences for Engineering Students and Specialists

Modern society is experiencing a high demand for engineering graduates, as employers are increasingly connected to rapidly advancing fields such as IT, mechanics, telecommunications, and electroni...

The project SUCCESS aimed to give a realistic description of the current situation in the post-pandemic period. Besides, the project identifies effective strategies to improve engineering students' awareness of communication and digital communication skills and shows examples of training them to advance these essential skills to adapt to a continuously fluctuating job market. Finally, the project suggests that integrating communication training into engineering curricula and providing opportunities for applied practical App, feedback, and clear patterns can help students to feel more confident and increase their overall performance in communicating technical knowledge and information to others. To ensure effective communication and prepare high-quality specialists whose academic skillset is accompanied by various essential soft skills required by employers, it is crucial to integrate a balanced proportion of multiple soft skills into curricula and/or the content of each separate subject or organize on the annual basis the cross-disciplinary international hackathons/forums.

During the active phase of the project, a variety of training programs were implemented, aligning with the objectives outlined in the project application. As outlined in the project application, a total of five distinct face-to-face training cycles were planned: Digital Communication, Specialized English for Engineering Students, Career Panel, Communication Laboratory, and Communication Hackathon. 1. The "Digital Communication"- activity took place in April 2022 in Cartagena, Spain, with the Polytechnic University of Cartagena overseeing the event. The aim was to enhance students’ digital skills and etiquette, as well as to develop digital communication proficiency, and presentation abilities in digital platforms and tools, emphasizing effective communication strategies in online environments and are crucial in today’s digital era. This activity supported students and professionals in improving both their written and oral communication skills while strengthening their critical thinking, analysis, debate, argumentation, and case study abilities. 2. The second activity, “English for Engineers,” was held in February 2023 in Dresden, Germany, organized by the Dresden University of Technology. This activity focused on introducing participants to the Specialized English Language used in the engineering industry. This program aimed at assessing students’ technical vocabulary and communication skills pertinent to the field, academic writing, speaking skills, and overall scientific competence, with feedback, ratings, and recommendations provided by the lecturers at the end of the program. The month of the project activity was changed from January due to different study periods of German students. 3. Concurrently, the “Career Panel” activity took place, hosted by the project partner, the Pyramid Group and Dresden University of Technology. This activity served as an interaction between students and employers, helping students develop oral presentation, body language, negotiation, and argumentation skills that are essential for success in the industry and labour market. The “Career Panel” also aimed to enhance participants’ competencies in analytical and strategic thinking, decision-making, stress management, adaptability, teamwork, and openness to feedback. Industry training professionals shared insights and experiences, providing participants with valuable guidance on career pathways and professional development. 4. In November 2023, the "Communication Lab" was organized in Riga, Latvia, by Riga Technical University. This innovative activity provided a hands-on approach to practising communication skills in various scenarios, allowing participants to refine their abilities in a supportive environment. Besides, during this event, students tested a newly developed application demo on training communication skills and provided feedback. This application was designed to foster and develop communication skills, while also analyzing users’ speech rate, fluency, pauses, and use of interjections. This activity represents a significant initial step toward establishing a more innovative communication training laboratory environment and the development of subsequent projects. 5. The final activity, the “Communication Hackathon,” took place in February 2024 in Paris, France, at Leonardo da Vinci Consolidated University. The event was rescheduled due to the general hackathon held in Leonardo de Vinci to disseminate information to more participants. The number of participants in the general hackathon was more than 1200 students from different majors. This event aimed to consolidate all the knowledge and topics covered in the previous activities, offering engineering students and professionals the chance to participate in an international forum with more than one thousand participants. The “Communication Hackathon” allowed participants to encourage collaborative problem-solving and creative thinking, bringing participants together to tackle communication challenges in real-time, thereby fostering teamwork and innovation in the field of AI. Each of these activities was designed to equip participants with essential skill sets that are increasingly relevant in today’s interconnected and rapidly evolving professional environment. The combination of theoretical knowledge and practical application aimed to enhance the overall effectiveness of communication within diverse contexts.