Fostering Employability in Technical Graduates: Integrating Communication Skills - Perspectives for Social Innovation in Management

Communication is a process that extends inclusive access to thoughts and actions. A graduating engineer when joining the workforce has to deal with both technical and non-technical professionals. While academic credentials alone are insufficient to provide employment, there is an increasing need to add value through communication skills to gain an edge in the job market. Engineering graduates are expected to obtain a definite level of proficiency in all four domains of communication i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Employers look for proficiency in these skills, before selecting an engineer for a job. The present work reflects the perception of undergraduate engineering students for importance and adeptness in various competencies of communication skills. This was carried out through a self-assessment survey over twin regions in India. The population and sample size is indicative of the wider population group, which prevails across the world. The results indicate that engineering students perceive themselves to be less communicative and proficient in all four skills. Further, it was deduced that they consider themselves more skilled in listening and writing rather than speaking and reading. This indicates that the classroom teaching of students has certainly improved specific aspects of communication but the major part is still not ready for the professional work environment. Moreover, various job surveys confirm this self-perceived notion of technical graduates. This study highlights the existing lacunae in the delivery and acquisition of communication skills in technical education, which emphasizes theoretical learning and restricts personality development.