Managing Structural Engineering Knowledge Transfer in Mentorship Programmes for Early-Career Engineers in Nigeria

The transition from engineering education to professional practice requires effective knowledge transfer mechanisms, particularly in structural engineering where tacit design judgement, professional responsibility, and project-specific problem-solving skills are critical for safe practice. This study investigates the design and outcomes of mentorship programmes for early-career structural engineers in selected engineering consulting firms and construction companies operating across multiple geopolitical zones in Nigeria. Surveys were administered to 120 early-career engineers with two to five years of post-graduation experience, and 45 senior engineers serving as mentors, examining mentorship structure, knowledge transfer effectiveness, career development impact, and alignment with COREN registration requirements. Results indicate that 68 percent of early-career respondents lacked a formally assigned mentor at their current organisation, despite 91 percent expressing a desire for structured mentorship. Among those with formal mentors, knowledge transfer was rated as effective or highly effective by 74 percent of mentees, compared to only 31 percent who relied on incidental learning from project exposure alone. The areas identified as most deficient in unmentored early-career development were structural conceptual design, site supervision decision-making, and professional report writing. Firms with formal mentorship programmes showed significantly lower early-career staff turnover rates, by an average of 22 percentage points. The study recommends adoption of a national mentorship framework by COREN linked to the corporate member registration pathway, with minimum contact hours and structured competency milestones. Keywords: mentorship, knowledge transfer, early-career engineers, COREN, structural engineering.