Preparing 5.0 Engineering Students for an Unpredictable Post-COVID World

In 2020, Higher Education and industry across the globe were immersed in extreme, unpredictable environments. Given the devastating impacts and disruptions observed since the appearance of COVID-19, the question to ask Higher Education is how it can better prepare students who are capable of being agile and proactive, and who demonstrate effective decision-making capabilities in complex situations. This paper therefore seeks to explore how educational engineering programs can better prepare 5.0 engineering students for their future workplace. It draws on the authors' involvement in two European Union projects, to provide insights and recommendations, which suggest that the focus be on: revisiting the curriculum; developing transversal skills and V-shape Engineer workspaces; work-based learning; graduate employability; and strengthening ties between academia and industry. We are also increasingly moving towards a 5.0 era where the emphasis is on developing human-centred IT soft-skills. This paper presents educational engineering-program leaders and managers, with suggestions for how to be responsible and proactive in ensuring that 5.0 engineering students have not only a qualification, but the requisite skills to make a more meaningful impact in their future workplace.