Articles

The Role of Soft Skills in Women’s Access to Managerial Positions in Engineering within STEM Fields

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The persistent underrepresentation of women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) constitutes a phenomenon that extends beyond the educational sphere and becomes more pronounced at decision-making levels within engineering. Far from being merely a numerical gap, this situation is rooted in structural frameworks that include organizational bias, a lack of mentorship, and the limited recognition of socio-emotional competencies in industrial environments. Within this context, the present article aims to examine the strategic role of soft skills as catalysts for women’s access to managerial positions in engineering.

To support this analysis, a mixed-methods methodological approach is adopted. On the one hand, a systematic review of the state of the art is conducted using the SALSA framework (Search, Appraisal, Synthesis, and Analysis), which enabled the integration and comparison of findings from 25 international studies published between 2016 and 2026. Complementarily, an experimental pilot study was implemented in a manufacturing company in the furniture sector located in the state of Hidalgo, Mexico, employing convenience sampling with the participation of 20 female engineers working in process engineering and sustainable design.

Based on this dual approach, significant regularities between global and local contexts are identified. In particular, the strengthening of skills such as inclusive leadership, effective communication, emotional intelligence, resilience, and adaptability is associated with substantial increases in professional confidence, job retention, and promotion opportunities, with improvements ranging between 20% and 30%. At the same time, the results of the pilot study reveal favorable impacts on organizational efficiency and innovation in productive processes.

Consequently, the findings confirm that the systematic incorporation of soft skills not only contributes to mitigating gender inequalities in engineering but also emerges as an essential component for fostering sustainable, inclusive, and competitive development in STEM sectors.

Analysis of Student Soft Skill Profiles: A Case Study at Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta

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This study aims to analyze the soft skill profiles of Universitas Amikom Yogyakarta students based on ten dimensions: communication, teamwork, leadership, problem solving and critical thinking, time management and organization, adaptability and flexibility, ethics and responsibility, creativity and innovation, emotional intelligence, and digital skills and information literacy. A total of 160 respondents completed a 1–4 Likert scale questionnaire. Descriptive analysis results show that all dimensions are in the medium category with an overall average of 3.189. The dimensions with the highest scores were ethics and responsibility (3.376) and digital skills and information literacy (3.260), followed by teamwork, adaptability, and time management. Conversely, the dimensions with the lowest relative averages were creativity and innovation (3.000) and communication (3.095), although they remained in the medium category. These findings conclude that students have an adequate foundation of soft skills but have not yet reached an excellent level, especially in the aspects of communication, creativity, and critical thinking. These results imply the need for a more integrated soft skills development strategy in the curriculum, student activities, and cooperation with industry to encourage improvement from a moderate to a high level.

The Relationship between Human Capital Readiness and Digital Leadership towards Employee Performance: Case Study of FMC Program at PT Telkomsel Branch Office X

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The development of the industrial world in the industrial revolution 4.0 will have an impact on various aspects of organizations and human function in industry is one of the various aspects that will have an impact. PT Telkomsel as a state-owned company must of course answer the challenges of the development of the industrial world by presenting the FMC program means that there will be indirectly organizational restructuring and adjustments to the technology used. This technology is of course related to industry 4.0 such as Cloud Computing, Data Processing, and the Internet of Things. In an effort to answer these challenges, organizations need to increase employee understanding of Industry 4.0 as well as hard and soft skills in using the technology used. Apart from that, the role of leaders in implementing organizational programs is an integral part in the smooth implementation of programs and in responding to the challenges of industry 4.0. The research found that Human Capital Readiness in the aspects of knowledge, hard skills and soft skills regarding industry 4.0 has a positive relationship with increasing Employee Performance. Apart from that, the Digital Leadership indicator in Leader such as being open to technological changes, the way they adapt to technology, and the way they communicate with employees can improve aspects of employee readiness and also have an impact on improving employee performance.