Authors
Neil Cooke, Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Claudia Favero, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Tom Harrison, School of Education, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Aziza Mahomed, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Khadijat Olorunlambe, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Zena Green, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Carl Anthony, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Holly Foss, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom; Mark Sterling, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Synopsis
The University of Birmingham School of Engineering (United Kingdom) employs a multi-level approach to foster students’ transferable competencies and skills. This integrated strategy, underpinned by conceptualisations of professional identity and engineering student belonging, operates across institutional, faculty, and curriculum levels. At the institutional level, the Birmingham Graduate Attributes cultivate skills through the qualities of intellectual curiosity, future focused, and practical wisdom. Concurrently, the co-curricular Birmingham Engineer Professional Identity Framework develops skills through professional identity via engineering perspectives such as professional registration and engineering habits. Finally, in the curriculum, Integrated Design Projects develop skills through interdisciplinary challenge-based learning in group settings. This holistic framework ensures that, during their studies, learners develop robust transferable competencies and skills for their future careers, enabling them to make broader societal contributions in line with the university’s civic commitment to be at the centre of its region’s renaissance.
Author Biographies
Neil Cooke, Department of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Cooke, Neil (0000-0003-2247-0663) is a Professor of Engineering Education at the University of Birmingham, UK. He served as SEFI Board member from 2017-2022 and chairs its Special Interest Group on Engineering Skills. Since 2022, he co-hosts the SEFI podcast European Engineering Educators, presenting case studies through expert interviews with researchers and practitioners on the current state of engineering education.
Claudia Favero, School of Chemical Engineering, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Favero, Claudia (0000-0001-9869-2970) is a Teaching Fellow and Learning Designer in the School of Chemical Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. She led the creation of the Engineering Student Belonging model.
Tom Harrison, School of Education, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Harrison, Tom (0000-0002-2767-465X) is Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Education Innovation) at the University of Birmingham and Director of the Jubilee Centre. He is a Professor of Education, and his research focuses on character education, graduate attributes, and digital wisdom. He led the creation of the Birmingham Graduate Attributes.
Aziza Mahomed, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Mahomed, Aziza (0000-0002-6804-9383) is a Professor of Engineering Education and Deputy Head of the School of Engineering, and Head of Education at the University of Birmingham, UK.
Khadijat Olorunlambe, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Olorunlambe, Khadijat (0000-0002-8192-7101) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. She coordinates the Integrated Design Projects.
Zena Green, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Green, Zena (0009-0004-2134-5769) is a Teaching Fellow in the Rail Research Group in the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. She is conducting PhD research into student belonging and psychologically safe teamwork.
Carl Anthony, Department of Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Anthony, Carl (0000-0002-7729-9843) is an Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham.
Holly Foss, Department of Civil Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
Foss, Holly (0000-0002-3749-488X) is an Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Birmingham, UK. She specialises in diversity and inclusion in engineering and engineering education and works on student belonging.
Mark Sterling, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Sterling, Mark (0000-0003-2119-592X) is Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He led the creation of the University of Birmingham School of Engineering, and then from 2019 as Deputy Pro-Vice-Chancellor for staffing led the creation of the Birmingham Academic Career Framework.
Published
August 26, 2026
Copyright (c) 2026 Gillian Saunders-Smits, Lynn Van den Broeck, Thies Johannsen
How to Cite
Cooke, N., Favero, C., Harrison, T., Mahomed, A., Olorunlambe, . K. ., Green, Z., Anthony, C., Foss, H., & Sterling, M. (2026). Multi-Level Integration: Transferable Skill Development at the University of Birmingham. In
SEFI Handbook on Teaching Transferable Competencies and Skills in Engineering (pp. 705-725). TU Delft OPEN Books.
https://doi.org/10.59490/mt.266.92
