Abstract:

This study aims to analyze a program for professional qualification implemented in a software engineering graduate course in the Federal University of Amazonas as the result of an industry-academy partnership that completely financed the costs and scholarships. The program focuses on the development of hard and soft skills and is specifically tailored to meet the demands of large industries in the telecommunication sectors situated in the Brazilian Amazon region. These demands stem from the particularities of the local innovation ecosystem. Manaus, the capital of the Amazonas state, is geographically isolated, with limited mobility options, poor health and education services, and a below average IDHM among other Brazilian technology centers. The strategy is to offer local STEM professionals who are working in other sectors the opportunity to migrate to R&D, with the hypothesis that the effort to leverage their qualification is lower when compared to the impact of the hiring costs and the turnover rate. Beyond technical competencies, the program also focuses on developing socio-emotional, entrepreneurial, and soft skills concurrently. The program's design took into account Kolb's experiential learning cycle (ELC) methodology. Soft skills are essential for success in professional and personal life, including communication, teamwork, problem-solving, decision-making, and adaptability. Traditional education often prioritizes technical and academic aspects over these skills. Experiential learning complements traditional education by enabling real-world application of knowledge, enhancing problem-solving abilities, and encouraging learning from experiences. This approach also fosters a holistic view of education, recognizing the significance of life experiences in skill development. The design of the selection process presented a challenge, as the desired candidate needed to meet a combination of criteria: lack of hard skills, a self-driven attitude, proven availability and a disadvantage in the job market for various reasons (age, lack of experience, lack of education, returnees to the workforce with gap years, etc). Thus, 25 students were selected with one dropout for health-related reasons, resulting in 24 students in total. The methodology of this paper is a mixed-method case study following the program’s methodology on the development of the target soft skills: autonomy, teamwork, communication, oral and written expression, cognitive flexibility, creativity, innovation, resilience, and critical thinking. Engineers assessed their soft skills through self-evaluation, then received training on delivering project pitches and engaged in a workshop dedicated to enhancing their soft skills. The students then received individual and group feedback followed by a second phase of evaluation of the target soft skills, implemented during the end of the program. The results revealed significant engagement from the engineers during the workshop and in presenting their projects, particularly in organizing the presentation information. The feedback indicates that the project has sparked participants' interest in furthering the development of soft skills and social abilities, and their intention with commiting to the program. Participants' reports also indicate an understanding of the practical significance of soft skills and their relevance to the workplace.

Keywords:

Engineers, soft skills, development, innovation, industry.