The American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) is leading the development of a competency model for the engineering profession in order to help build a broader understanding of the knowledge and skills needed by engineers to thrive in the workplace.
Competency models currently exist for almost every industry in the United States — except engineering — and are showcased by the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) and others for use in a number of ways.
Specifically for the engineering profession, the proposed competency model will provide a consistent set of employment guidelines for employers. It will also provides employees, prospective employees, workforce training providers, educators and others a clear understanding of how best to enter, advance and succeed in the industry.
With the gamut of professional opportunities offered by the engineering sector, and the important role that engineering plays in creating employment opportunities in our nation’s economy, AAES believes this represents a critical and foundational workforce development tool that needs to be in place.
Subject Matter Experts from AAES member societies from industry and academic backgrounds have been working for several months with the Labor Department on a draft of the proposed Engineering Competency Model. As part of that effort, AAES has issued a broad invitation to the engineering community to participate in an initial survey to provide critical input of knowledge and counsel on this draft competency model for the engineering sector. The results will be collated and used to provide input into the Competency Model for the Engineering Profession.
AAES anticipates that the Competency Model will be ready in early summer 2015, and will be vetted with industry leaders before final submission for publication in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Competency Model Clearinghouse in the Fall of 2015.
According to AAES President Jim Melsa, “This is a project we know will have positive and long-lasting benefit for our profession. We hope you will be part of this elite team of professionals working to make an impact on our industry’s future. Thank you in advance for volunteering your time and your counsel to this landmark project.”
