Perspectivas sobre as soft skills por egressos dos cursos de engenharia de produção da UFPB

Abstract

In the current scenario of the job market, Soft Skills have been gaining increasing relevance, being recognized as essential elements for performance and achieving results. Understanding technological advancements and Industry 4.0 reveals that working in the industry requires not only technical skills but also behavioral and interpersonal abilities. Academic education plays a crucial role in developing these competencies to enable a professionalization that fully meets the demands of work. However, during undergraduate studies, the topic still does not receive the necessary emphasis and objective approach. With the aim of contributing to the improvement of academic curricula and student preparation, this study presents, descriptively, insights into the perspectives of graduates from Production Engineering and Mechanical Production Engineering at UFPB regarding Soft Skills in the context of their careers. Data was collected through a questionnaire that addressed information about positions, areas of work, and years of professional experience, as well as the graduates' perspectives on five Soft Skills contextualized for the current industry: agreement with definitions, performance in usage, importance for career, and contribution of undergraduate education to the development of these skills. The results revealed that all the skills addressed are considered important and well exercised but could receive greater emphasis in academic training. Particularly noteworthy are the skills of Flexibility, Teamwork, and Communication, followed by Motivation and Creativity.