Nothing has recently shaken the world as profoundly as the emergence of Artificial Intelligence and the effort to make it accessible to the general audience. Only at that moment did we truly grasp how disruptive and dangerous technology can be, while still holding the sparkling promise of new, revolutionary possibilities. With AI’s rapid rise, labor market trends have drastically shifted in favor of engineers. However, new dilemmas have arisen: can we apply the technology responsibly, ensuring that these innovations serve a greater good, for humanity’s benefit?

It is reported that STEM occupations have significantly grown over the past 30 years, going from 9.7 million employees to 17.3 million, thus outpacing overall US job growth [1]. The statistics say that whereas the overall employment grew only 34% in the USA, STEM employment has grown 79% since the early 2000s. This rapid expansion has created a labor market imbalance, forcing businesses to hire not only STEM-educated workers but also those from other fields, such as the humanities, to fill critical roles. Interestingly, this necessity has led many organizations to recognize the valuable skills and perspectives that non-STEM workers bring, contributing to a more diverse and dynamic labor market. Nowadays, employers are looking for more than just an engineer with a STEM background -they are looking for critical thinking, communication skills, and problem-solving abilities [2].

A survey conducted by The Association of American Universities revealed that 73% of employers in the USA rejected the trend towards narrow technical training, asking colleges and universities to emphasize criticalthinking and analytical reasoning more [3]. The same study informs us that 78% of employers look for intercultural competence in job applicants, whereas 80% thought written and oral communication are key skills [3]. New qualification requirements for Industry 4.0 include cultural and intercultural competence, life long learning, interdisciplinary thinking, decision-making, digital and media literacy [4], [5]. Many employers identified the greatest skills gap in the labor market as skills in communication, problem-solving and critical thinking [6], [7]. Some of those are labeled “soft skills” or “essential skills” - observation, empathy, logical thinking, social perceptiveness are the skills of leadership, the most wanted ones in corporations and at workplaces worldwide [8].

Transferable skills, broadly defined as non-technical skills such as Teamwork, Communication, Problem-solving, Innovation and Emotional Judgment [6], have become widely acknowledged as essential in successful leadership and business. These skills are becoming more important than ever – it is anticipated that the share of the workforce with “transferable skills” is going to increase from 53% in 2000 to 63% in 2030 [6]. Similarly, the Canadian job market is expected to employ 2.4 million people in the next 3 years, all of whom will have to prove they possess the set of skills to thrive in the age of disruption [8].

The projected skills demand for all occupations, based on the Royal Bank of Canada Report, tops active listening, critical thinking and reading comprehension, with persuasion and negotiation skills being of medium importance, whereas equipment maintenance, repairing and installation are at the bottom of the list [8]. These skills are easily found in Humanities graduates who are well-rounded and exhibit persuasive written and oral skills, being thinkers with superior critical thinking skills along with a sense of empathy [6]. A 2013 research study at the University of Oxford confirmed that “transferable skills,” characteristic of Humanities graduates, are the key factors in determining outcomes in hiring and advancement [9]. As many as 11,000 Humanities graduates are reported to have contributed an increased share of the national economic growth, and accordingly, they emphasized the value of their Humanities-based education as a key to their success [9].

Similarly, employers have experienced manifold benefits of the humanities-based educated workforce. For example, Google hired close to 6,000 people in 2011, intentionally selecting many of them with degrees in the Humanities. Google decided to look for intelligent employees capable of interacting with others, arguing that Humanities graduates are “a desired commodity for industry” [2].

Another example is IBM’s shift in the labor force: they have reoriented their hiring policy by introducing “design researchers who are specialists with a science and humanities background,” which has brought the most profound change to the company’s operations [6]. Finally, the founder of Apple, Steve Jobs, once said: “It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough – it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.” [8]

The scientific and technical advances in the 21st century, apart from affecting the economy and politics, have also added to the vulnerability of humankind [3]. In the context of AI and Industry 4.0, social challenges related to privacy, ethical and security issues and growing distrust demand urgent and thoughtful attention. In order to tackle those problems, stakeholders and policymakers rely on STEM education. In today’s geo-political circumstance, “governance requires high-quality, broadly educated public servants and enlightened citizenry” [3].

Tertiary education, recognized internationally as a public good, has for centuries been established as a trusted system, functioning as accredited centers of knowledge and research, relied upon by both graduates and businesses. Now, it is higher education that needs to introduce a more holistic approach to Engineering education that might restructure the current curricula to better prepare future engineers for the complex challenges ahead [10].

In today’s complex and interconnected world, technical education cannot exist in isolation. Engineers and technologists require more than technical expertise— they must also cultivate strong communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and an understanding of human behavior. We have identified technical universities within the CEEPUS countries that host institutes, departments, or faculties dedicated to teaching humanities to STEM students, forming the HUMANISTA network. While most partners in the network are primarily STEM-oriented institutions with specialized departments for the humanities, the network also includes a few humanities faculties, such as those focused on linguistics or psychology. These faculties align with the network’s goals by preparing students for future professions closely connected to STEM contexts—such as English teachers who design ESP courses for engineers, or psychologists equipped to work with future technologists and innovators. This interdisciplinary integration further enriches the network’s vision. By stronger integrating the Humanities into technical programs, the HUMANISTA network aims to develop professionals who are not only technically skilled but also deeply attuned to the social, cultural, and ethical dimensions of their work.

This approach is intended to prepare students for leadership roles in diverse, multidisciplinary environments, where the ability to understand and collaborate across boundaries is increasingly essential. The network will enhance the mobility of students and faculty lecturers, encouraging collaboration across disciplines and promoting research that bridges the gap between STEM fields and the humanities.

References:

[1] Funk C. & Parker K. (2018). Diversity in the STEM workforce varies widely across jobs. Pew Research Center, Washington DC, January 9, 2018. Retrieved from:

https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widelyacross-jobs/

[2] Elmenhurst M. (2016). Why English? A Defense of the Humanities in the Midst of STEM Promotion. WWU Honors Program Senior Projects. 30. Retrieved from:

https://cedar.wwu.edu/wwu_honors/30/

[3] Leach J. (2013). STEM and the Humanities: a false dichotomy. Graduate College Distinguished Lecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, April 17, 2013. Retrieved from:

https://grad.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/leach-lecture.pdf[4] Coskun S., Kayikci Y., & Gencay E. (2019). Adapting Engineering Education to Industry 4.0 Vision. Technologies 2019, 7, 10, 2-13. DOI:https://doi.org/10.3390/technologies7010010

[5] Youngs G. (2019). Arts, humanities and design skill sets and Industry 4.0. Creative industries Federation. Septembar 3, 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/news/arts-humanities-and-design-skill-sets

and-industry-40

[6] Deloitte Access Humanities (2018), The Value of Humanities. Retreived from:

https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/au/Documents/Economics/deloitte-au

economics-value-humanities-111018.pdf

[7] Skorton D & Bear A.(eds), (2018). The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education: Branches from the Same Tree. The National Academies Press, Washington DC, DOI: https://doi.org/10.17226/24988

[8] Moro A. (2018). The Humanities are becoming more important. Here's why. World Economic Forum, June 14, 2018. Retrieved from: https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/how-a

humanities-degree-will-serve-you-in-a-disruptive-economy

[9] Kreager P. (2013). Humanity graduates and the British economy: the Hidden Impact. Institute of Human Sciences, University of Oxford, July 2013. Retrieved from:

https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2013/07/apo-nid69766-1160886.pdf

[10] Krsmanović, I. (2019). 'STEMANITIES as a Future Fit Scholarship: Trends and Challenges in Engineering Education for Industry 4.0', JETIE - Journal on Emerging Trends in Industrial Engineering and related fields, Campus 02 Graz, Volume 1. DOI:10.21428/92f19a8b.594c147f,

https://jetie.pubpub.org/pub/vahr7sv5/release/1