Development of engineers' social competences in the settings of Web 2.0 platform

Abstract

Successful professional realization requires not only specific technical competences of engineers, but also suitable social behavior. In this paper the essential social competences for engineers are investigated taking into consideration the competences proposed in current research published in scientific papers and gathered opinion of students from Technical University - Sofia. The findings lead to creation of social competences research model including key social competences: communication, collaboration, networking, self-management, adaptability, English knowledge, leading and loyalty. The characteristics of Web 2.0 as a platform that could support competence development are summarized and a model for social competences development of engineers in Web 2.0 settings is proposed. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.