How Volunteering Shapes Engineering Soft Skills Development: Lessons from Jaya’s Journey
Technical knowledge is the foundation of engineering, but it has never been the full story. Careers are shaped just as much by communication, confidence, teamwork and adaptability as they are by formulas, tools or calculations. For many learners, the turning point often arrives not in the classroom but in real situations where they must contribute, collaborate and grow alongside others.
Jaya Sujeewon Rughoo’s volunteering journey reflects this truth with clarity. What began as a chance mention in a job interview became a pathway to leadership, personal growth and a deeper understanding of what engineering really requires. Her experience is not just a celebration of service. It is a demonstration of how engineering soft skills development emerges through practice, community involvement and meaningful responsibility.
Elec Training sees this pattern in learners every day. Skills grow fastest when people step into situations where technical understanding meets human connection. Volunteering provides exactly that.
How early opportunities shape confidence and communication
Jaya’s first step into the IET community came almost by accident. During a job interview in 2015, she was encouraged to enter the PATW competition to present her final year project. That single invitation opened the door to a new direction. Presenting her work built confidence, meeting volunteers built networks, and winning the local competition created a sense of momentum that shaped the years that followed.
This mirrors how many engineering learners initially develop communication skills. Often, people begin quietly. They feel unsure, hesitant or even introverted. But structured, supportive experiences allow them to step forward. Modules such as team awareness communication help learners understand how they fit into a wider environment. When they see the value of their contribution, confidence grows naturally.
Soft skills are not a separate layer added to technical work. They are woven into every decision, every conversation and every piece of feedback exchanged in a technical environment.
Why leadership emerges through contribution, not ambition
Jaya’s story shows that leadership does not begin with a title. It begins with participation. She did not join the Mauritius Local Network with plans of becoming chair. Instead, she started by helping, organising and supporting others. Over time, those actions led to trust, responsibility and eventually leadership roles.
Engineering careers develop in the same way. People who are reliable, communicative and willing to support others often become central figures within their teams. Learning environments reinforce this by helping learners understand the systems around them. Lessons such as structured document understanding teach learners how to work with information, policies and expectations clearly and efficiently.
Leadership is often a quiet process at first. It grows as people begin to recognise their ability to support the success of those around them.
Learning to collaborate under real pressure
Volunteering with an international committee meant Jaya spent nearly three years collaborating virtually before meeting her team in person. Monthly online meetings, planning sessions, messages, shared documents and event preparations became part of her everyday life. When the team finally met in 2022, the connection felt like meeting family.
This experience reflects the modern engineering landscape, where collaboration is no longer limited to physical spaces. Technical work increasingly involves remote teams, shared platforms and distributed responsibility. Soft skills such as clarity, patience and active listening shape the quality of collaboration far more than proximity.
Engineering learners need to develop these habits early. Modules such as safe handling awareness may seem purely practical, but they also strengthen decision making and careful coordination between individuals. The mindset behind safe actions is closely connected to the mindset behind working well with others.
Even small experiences can help learners develop the consistency required for long term technical performance.
Community involvement as a pathway to engineering identity
For Jaya, volunteering did more than expand her network. It strengthened her identity as an engineer. She discovered that engineering was not just about machines or designs but about people. This shift in perspective is common among learners who engage with communities, competitions, or collaborative training environments.
Understanding how to interact with others is as much a part of engineering soft skills development as understanding how systems function. Lessons such as visitor communication awareness help learners see themselves as part of a public facing profession where clarity and safety matter equally.
When learners begin to see themselves as contributors to a field rather than just participants in a course, their confidence and motivation deepen. People perform better when they feel connected to something larger than their individual task.
The impact of structured practice on long term career growth
Volunteering often places people in situations where structure and planning matter as much as enthusiasm. Jaya mentioned hesitation before accepting the chair role because she did not want to commit unless she could give it her all. This kind of self awareness develops when people recognise what effective leadership requires: planning, coordination and clear communication.
Training supports this awareness. Modules such as applied teamwork coordination help learners understand how decisions ripple across a workplace. When people become familiar with structured teamwork, they become more capable of stepping into positions of responsibility.
Even foundational safety modules encourage structured thinking. Lessons like accurate incident reporting teach learners to communicate clearly, interpret information responsibly and document events with discipline. These habits support career progression regardless of industry.
And sometimes structure reveals strengths people did not know they had.
Why volunteering accelerates engineering soft skills development
Engineering success depends increasingly on soft skills: communication, adaptability, teamwork, self leadership, and the confidence to present ideas clearly. These skills are not optional extras. They are essential elements of modern technical careers. Volunteering accelerates their development by placing people in situations where they must collaborate, make decisions and support the growth of others.
Jaya’s journey is one example, but its lessons apply widely. Vocational learners, apprentices, trainees and early career engineers all benefit from stepping into roles that require contribution beyond their comfort zone. Skills grow quickest when tested in real situations. Elec Training continues to encourage this mindset. Technical training is not just about developing practical capability. It is about helping people become confident contributors to the workplaces and communities they join. More information about vocational learning pathways can be found at www.elec.training.
