Engineers help tackle pressing and complex global challenges by delivering practical and fitting solutions to society’s needs. However critical technical knowledge is for an engineer, the ability to communicate accurately and concisely to a non-expert audience, lead a multi-disciplinary team and negotiate with stakeholders at all levels are essential and conducive skills to succeed in the work environment. Fit-for-purpose engineers require technical knowledge coupled with the right soft skills to improve collaboration and productivity, access critical resources such as funding, be a catalyst for change through sustainable and inclusive leadership.

Many of the skills required by engineering companies for their internal operations are referred to as ‘soft skills’. These skills are essential for employability but are not directly linked to an engineer’s core technical responsibilities. Nonetheless, certain soft skills such as problem-solving, communication and project management are pivotal to foster innovation in the engineering industry.

As automation and artificial intelligence evolve rapidly, soft skills have become more valuable than ever. There is an increasing demand of soft skills considered as the ‘human element’ needed for the analysis and interpretation of data-enabled technology. Teamwork, emotional intelligence and communication enable engineers to successfully navigate the ever-changing labour market. Yet, these softer transferable skills are often cited as something missing from candidates when engineering companies are looking to hire.

The engineering footprint in Rwanda is no exception. After completing their engineering degree, many Rwandan graduates struggle to succeed in job interviews and secure a smooth university-to-work transition. Career prospects are usually hampered by a lack of communication and presentation skills, interview readiness and misalignment between university-acquired skills and industry needs.

In Rwanda, engineering curricula often focuses on technical skills and in-depth subject knowledge, whilst lacking teaching of key soft skills. This includes limited access to early career professional development training and mentoring which hinders graduates’ job opportunities and career prospects. Teamwork, creativity and engineering ethics are often included in the university syllabus, but pivotal career-ready skills such as personal branding and communication are not usually covered.

To bridge this gap, Engineers Against Poverty (EAP) and the Institution of Engineers Rwanda (IER) is equipping graduates and young engineers with the skills and knowledge needed for career progression, ultimately aiming to contribute to the growth and development of the engineering footprint in Rwanda. With support from the Royal Academy of Engineering through the Africa Catalyst programme, we’ve started delivering three one week career training programmes, with the first cohort successfully completing their course in May. The remaining cohorts are expected to be trained in August and November this year. The training aims to facilitate a supportive learning environment where participants can seek mentorship, engage in knowledge-sharing activities and establish connections with industry professionals.

The training programme was designed and delivered by Tasks Africa, as the chosen in-country partner, with advisory support from Dr Nike Folayan MBE, Chair and Co-Founder of Association For BME Engineers (AFBE-UK). Assessment surveys were administered to the first cohort, comprised of 50 participants, to ensure training content and format were tailored to their needs and expectations.

Interviews and conversations with participants demonstrated the strong appetite for this type of initiatives. Each year in Rwanda, 125,000 first-time job seekers enter the labour market which the economy is unable to absorb. The pre-training assessment surveys showed that 1 in 3 respondents who have graduated between 2023 and 2021 indicated that they did not attend any interviews since graduation. Almost half respondents indicated that ‘the interview went well but they did not get the job’. Some of the stated reasons included personal branding, lack of sufficient experience and effective communication skills.

Feedback from interviews and post-training survey responses suggested that the first cohort of participants felt more capable of securing job interviews and succeed at them after the training. The course included a series of seminars sessions, hands-on team-based games and mock-up exercises that enhanced participants’ ability to negotiate, work as part of a team, prioritise, adapt and be flexible, handle relationships, and project and time manage efficiently.

As one participant expressed: “What I liked from the training these past few days is that what we need[ed] is what they gave us.” Another participant added: “The content you are providing is very essential to us… We did not know how to write a good CV and application letter, so when we apply, they tell us ‘This is not complete’ and ‘This is not good’. Now we understand how to do it the correct way.”

IER-EAP partnership spans almost a decade, from 2017 as part of Phase 2 of the Africa Catalyst programme continuing until the present day as part of Phase 5. Through this initiative, a total of 150 graduates and young engineers will receive training on soft skills and increase their confidence on communications, CV writing and professional branding skills, their understanding of industry-specific requirements and trends, as well as strengthen their professional networks and enhance their mentorship opportunities. In collaboration with IER, we intend to create a ripple effect that leads to higher job application success rates in order to strengthen the national workforce by harnessing young engineers’ potential to accelerate inclusive and sustainable development in Rwanda.

This remains an important part of EAP’s work in building engineering capacity across the world. You can read more about our work on our areas page.