Strengthening Standardization of Professional Engineering Competencies to Support Sustainable Construction Through Circular Economy Principles in Indonesia

The issue of Construction and Demolition Waste (CDW) requires the attention of all stakeholders worldwide. CDW worldwide, including Indonesia, contributes more than one third of the world’s waste. To address this issue, the GoI is promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and a Circular Economy (CE) in various sectors, including construction. Simultaneously, the GoI is also promoting the standardization of engineering competency to ensure competitiveness and professionalism. However, the two efforts remain to be synergised, and therefore an evaluation is needed as a critic and a corrective. This research examines the contribution of basic engineering competencies to the implementation of the CE concept with respondents who are certified members of the Institution of Engineers Indonesia (PII) using IPA analysis. The research found that 4 competencies are dominantly perceived as performing well in contributing to the implementation of CE, which are Technical Knowledge (BC.1), Leadership and Management (BC.5), Design and Analysis (BC.3), and Lifelong Learning (BC.7). Meanwhile, the other 3 competences are not considered as a priority in supporting the concept of CE, which are Problem-solving Skills (BC.2), Communication Skills (BC.4) and Ethical Conduct (BC.6). To solve the basic problems of SDG and CE implementation, it is necessary to strengthen the competencies, knowledge, and skills of engineers by improving the vocational education curriculum and certifying professional engineers. Further research is needed to assess the influence of policy variables and regulations on the SDG and CE, in order to increase the competence and skills to implement CE in the construction sector in Indonesia.