Although there is high degree of agreement on the importance of transversal skills for engineers, employers observe a significant gap between expectations and reality. This paper discusses the need for the development of a framework of professional roles for future engineers and the implementation of dedicated skills education in engineering curricula to train students for this role. Based on an extensive literature study, an overview is given of previous research on this topic. The paper also outlines the next steps that will be taken by the authors as part of a European project PREFER to develop and implement these roles in engineering education.
Conference Key Areas: Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning; Skills and Engineering Education; Curriculum Development@en