The valuing of creativity in the workplace roles of engineering research graduates

Abstract

This paper reports on a study that explored the beliefs of twenty-two industry-based employers of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering Higher Degree Research (EHDR) graduates about the value of these graduates to the engineering workplace. Once the commonly known generic employability attributes were set aside, the findings revealed that creativity was an essential factor in employers’ decisions to accommodate these graduates. The employers’ comments suggested that they valued knowledge and creative problem-solving skills gained in HDR candidature but feared that EHDR graduates would display attributes popularly associated with creative genius, and this concern reduced their willingness to accommodate these graduates. This highlights the value of creative skills and attributes, the hallmarks of HDR activity, to the overall employability of EHDR graduates in innovative enterprises, but reveals a barrier to industry engagement that is based on myth.