AAES receives top ASAE Honors for its Engineering Competency Model

July 22, 2016 - The American Association of Engineering Societies (AAES) – of which the International Society of Automation is a member of – has earned a 2016 American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) Power of A Gold Award for its Engineering Competency Model (“the model”), a guide for the development of professionals in the engineering workforce which promotes an understanding of the skill sets and competencies that are essential to educate and train a globally competitive engineering workforce.

Funded by a grant from the United Engineering Foundation, the model was developed by AAES in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration and AAES subject matter experts from education, industry, and private practice. Over a period of about 15 months, the model was created via a thorough development process engaging stakeholders within the engineering community.

“The Engineering Competency Model is another piece, together with the Automation Competency Model and Cybersecurity Industry Competency Model, that the Automation Federation has helped create and shape” said Steve Mustard, chair of the Automation Federation’s cybersecurity committee, and one of the key players in creating the model. “I’m proud to be part of such an important initiative, that guides academia, industry and individuals towards ensuring the next generation of professionals has all the skills needed to maintain and develop our critical infrastructure and advanced manufacturing.”

At its core, the Engineering Competency Model is a four-tier model that uses a pyramid to depict the required key competencies. Tiers one through four include personal, academic, workplace and technical competencies that are common to the engineering profession. AAES encourages adoption of the model and development of fifth tiers to include discipline-specific competencies. Tier six, a final optional tier, is divided into two areas: competencies needed for management and occupation-specific requirements for a particular position within the engineering profession.  

About one year ago in July 2015, the model was launched on the Department of Labor’s Competency Model Clearinghouse website. Since then, awareness of the model has been spreading through journal and magazine articles, social media, and conference presentations.

Resources, including a two-minute video and PowerPoint presentation with speaker’s guide, have been created for faculty, guidance counselors, and others who work with individuals who are entering the STEM pipeline, to provide specific guidance on the core competencies and skills not only necessary for entering the engineering profession, but also for maintaining proficiency during one’s career.

ASAE honored AAES for its model, which is vital to informing discussions among industry leaders, employers, human resource professionals, educators, and workforce professionals as they collaborate to identify specific employer skill needs, develop competency-based curricula and training models, and develop industry-defined performance indicators, skill standards, and certifications.

“The development of the Engineering Competency Model demonstrates the power of associations coming together to collectively achieve what an individual association cannot do alone,” said Alyse Stofer, AAES chair. “The model brought together leaders from a variety of engineering disciplines to establish a more consistent guideline on the competencies that are common to all engineers.”

About ISA
The International Society of Automation is a nonprofit professional association that sets the standard for those who apply engineering and technology to improve the management, safety, and cybersecurity of modern automation and control systems used across industry and critical infrastructure. Founded in 1945, ISA develops widely used global standards; certifies industry professionals; provides education and training; publishes books and technical articles; hosts conferences and exhibits; and provides networking and career development programs for its 40,000 members and 350,000 customers around the world.

ISA owns Automation.com, a leading online publisher of automation-related content, and is the founding sponsor of The Automation Federation, an association of non-profit organizations serving as “The Voice of Automation.” Through a wholly owned subsidiary, ISA bridges the gap between standards and their implementation with the ISA Security Compliance Institute and the ISA Wireless Compliance Institute.