Abstract

In most South African and Swedish Higher Education Institutions (HEI) with an Engineering program, Engineering students partake in work-integrated learning (WIL) through work placement. Work placement is a pedagogical practice that forms part of WIL and combines classroom learning with workplace experience.

In South Africa, researchers and policymakers focus on graduate attributes development through WIL in HEI, e.g., numeracy, communication skills, social responsibility, etc. One of the intentions is to broaden graduates’ employability with generic skills. This intention is also the case for Engineering programs, where it was found that generic skills development will enhance graduates’ productivity and employability early on in their careers. Thus, WIL is essential in South Africa to assist students in gaining generic skills and becoming employable. The need for graduates’ early productivity and employability stems from the economic climate in South Africa, where economic growth is needed for development and eradicating poverty.

Governments, employers, and professional bodies in South Africa expect universities to prepare their students for a smooth transition from their studies into professional practice. Occupational competency and self-efficacy in South Africa specifically inhibit a contradiction between the engineering skills shortage that poses a significant threat to the South African construction sector and the unemployment of graduates, including engineering graduates.

In Sweden, policymakers and the manufacturing sector report on a significant lack of engineering competencies. Recent statistics by the Swedish Higher Education Authority (2023) show that engineering education has one of the lowest numbers of graduates and fulfilled graduations, with every other student finishing their education.

In contradiction, Swedish enterprises and the public sector cannot hire enough people due to a shortage of graduates. In the long run, the lack of students and graduates potentially risks Sweden's ability to reach goals in terms of climate and digitalization. Notably, Engineering in Sweden has seen an emerging gap between the largely separate worlds of engineering education and engineering practice. There are convincing reasons why the two worlds need to enter constructive dialogue.