The final year project (FYP) in engineering provides an opportunity for students to both develop and
demonstrate their professional capabilities and interpersonal skills which are key graduate attributes
assessed by accreditors (in accordance with the Washington, International Engineering Alliance, or
Sydney Accord), as well as solve complex problems with open-ended projects (Rasul et.al 2009). “Soft
skills” are critical professional capabilities, required by the Engineering New Zealand professional
body, that must be integrated into the FYP to meet the graduate profile for Graduate Diploma
International (GDI) students. This demand comes at a time when engineers are increasingly called upon
to play an active role in addressing global challenges facing humanity in the twenty-first century
(Bernard 2019).