Developing Sustainable Graduates Equipped with the Critical Skills to Lead the Transition to a Circular Economy

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is upon us and is reshaping societies in how we live, work, operate and interact with each other. Globalisation, technology advancement and the advent of artificially intelligent brains, that could potentially replace the human brain, or certainly complement it, have fast-forwarded countries into rapidly changing economic landscapes (World Economic Forum, 2025). Attainment of Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 (SDGs 8 and 12 particularly relevant to engineers) have been added to the mix along with the EU's goal to be the first major economy to have transitioned to a circular (green) economy by 2050. This presents challenges to engineers of the future, and to educators attempting to equip engineering graduates with the critical, professional, and transversal skills to contribute and deliver on these government level economic aspirations. Key stakeholders, governments, firms, accrediting bodies and educators are agreed upon the traditional graduate employability skills such as communication, problem solving, innovative thinking etc. However, engineering graduates will be required to navigate through a complex, dynamic and sustainable world throughout the course of their careers. Educators require greater clarity around critical and emerging skills requiring introduction or further development into engineering curricula. This workshop will focus on two key areas which are the critical and emerging professional and transversal skills engineering graduates require to launch their engineering career along with exploring opportunities to engender greater levels of student engagement with their professional development study.