The Complexity of Graduate Attributes in Engineering for Industry 4.0 Contexts

The increasing complexity in professional fields such as engineering challenges educators to meet the demands of employers who continue to bemoan the lack of graduate technical and professional skills. While the International Engineering Alliance guidelines for competency objectives demonstrate amended criteria to reflect a more holistic approach to preparing graduates for complex engineering workplaces, these guidelines do not necessarily enable educators to implement strategies that will ensure Graduate Attribute development. This paper problematises what we mean by the term Graduate Attribute (GA). Comparing the interpretation of GAs in academic literature across three decades to global Higher Education institutional website visions for their students and industry top-ten attribute lists, shifts in GA focus over time are illustrated. We find an increasing focus on psycho-social qualities such as empathy, curiosity and persistence. By returning to the origin of the term GA, we suggest that the integrated Sydney Model is a more appropriate framing of GA development. The Sydney Model demonstrates the interconnectedness of Scholarship (Knowledge), Lifelong Learning (Self) and Global Citizenship (World). Adopting a relational approach to GA development is more appropriate for engineering curriculum and pedagogy innovation if we are to meet Industry 4.0 needs in complex socio-technical contexts.