Three academics from the School of Engineering and Materials Science (SEMS) have contributed to a new international handbook on teaching transferable competencies and skills in engineering education.

The SEFI Handbook on Teaching Transferable Competencies and Skills in Engineering was officially launched on Wednesday 9th September 2026 at the 54th SEFI Annual Conference, hosted by the Czech Technical University in Prague.

Published fully open access by TU Delft Open Publishing, the handbook brings together the expertise of 155 contributors from 23 countries, spanning five continents and representing 56 institutions and professional bodies. It provides a comprehensive and practice-oriented resource for engineering educators, curriculum developers, programme leaders, educational researchers and students seeking to develop the transferable skills and competencies needed by engineers.

Three academics from the Centre for Research in Engineering and Materials Education contributed to the handbook:

• Dr Faith Nightingale, corresponding author for Chapter 2.2: Process Management on a Process Level and Chapter 3.1: Navigating the Complexities of Competency Assessment: An Introduction.
• Dr Folashade Akinmolayan, corresponding author for Chapter 3.4: Assessment Rubrics: Design, Development and Implementation.
• Dr Rehan Shah, together with Ilanthiraiyan Sivagnanamoorthy (Student Researcher), contributed to Chapter 2.9: Embedding the Core Triad: Spatial Ability, Visualisation, and Representational Literacy…

The handbook explores the development and integration of transferable competencies across engineering education, covering key concepts and frameworks, curriculum design, accreditation and quality assurance, assessment, exemplary programmes and approaches to evaluating educational interventions and outcomes. Importantly, the handbook connects research and theory with practical guidance for educational practice, supporting educators to embed transferable competencies across individual modules and whole engineering programmes.

The handbook is available to read free of charge online, providing an accessible resource for colleagues and students across the engineering education community. Read the SEFI Handbook on Teaching Transferable Competencies and Skills in Engineering.