Soft skills in training specialists in the sphere of standardization, metrology and quality management as a part of education for sustainable development

Abstract

The research is devoted to the role of soft skills in training engineers in the sphere of metrology, standardization and quality management. Supra-professional competencies make a specialist more competitive in the labor market and later facilitates labor efficiency and sustainable development of the society as a whole, that is why the system of engineers’ education should include mastering time management, team work, and orient students towards developing their ability to handle stress and self-development. The article presents the results of a survey of students and practitioners in the sphere of metrology, standardization and quality management about the most important soft skills and the most popular ways to master them. To determine the features of forming soft skills in the Russian higher education system, we analyzed the federal state educational standards and researched curricula of 20 Russian universities training students in the said majors. The research allows concluding that supra-professional competencies are demanded by the students. We also found that the special disciplines forming soft skills are unevenly included into the curricula of universities, while there is a trend to increase the share of special courses training students for non-production activity as the education system is being reformed.