Integrating skill sets: mapping industry expectations of graduate mechanical engineers in Australia via network analysis of job advertisements

Graduate employability is a critical issue in Australian engineering education, where high competition for entry-level roles persists despite industry skill shortages. While Engineers Australia’s Stage 1 Competency Standard provides a benchmark, there is limited empirical evidence defining the specific skill sets required for graduate mechanical engineers. This study addresses this gap by analysing a national dataset of job advertisements to identify and map priority skills. Unlike automated studies producing broad skill inventories, this research delivers high-resolution, discipline-specific mapping of skill interdependencies. By analysing a manually verified dataset through Louvain community detection and Apriori association rule mining, the research reveals the structural architecture of employability in mechanical engineering. Findings indicate that employers seek integrated skill sets rather than isolated technical abilities. Proficiency in CAD and computational software is fundamental but consistently demanded alongside professional skills like communication, teamwork, and project management. Clustering analysis identified distinct role archetypes combining technical, professional, and contextual attributes. Rule mining uncovered strong associations between software expertise, stakeholder communication, and understanding ethical and sustainable practices. This research demonstrates that employability is constructed through holistic integration. Consequently, engineering curricula must evolve to embed these integrated skills, ensuring educational outcomes align directly with contemporary industry expectations.