Abstract
Digital competency is now core to chemical engineering practice, yet the extent and coherence of digitalisation skills provision across undergraduate curricula remain uneven. This study maps qualitatively and qualitatively digital learning outcomes across undergraduate chemical engineering programmes at the University of Sheffield, against a digital skills framework (data analysis, process simulation, process automation & control, reproducible workflows, programming, data governance). In recent years, digital skills education within chemical engineering education has advanced considerably, driven by the broader industrial shift toward Industry 4.0 and reinforced by the global challenges. Academic institutions have begun to integrate digitalisation-related content more deliberately within syllabus, in alignment with degree programme accreditation requirements and industry needs. Beyond introductory spreadsheet manipulation and basic programming, many courses are now embedding more advanced digital capabilities, including data engineering, scientific programming, process analytics, and optimisation techniques. Results of this study reveal a scaffolded digital pathway, where students are exposed gradually through core taught content and applied knowledge activities to a variety of digital tools across their years of study in a by-design approach at earlier years that becomes organic later on. From limited exposure and credit correlation in Year 1, students complete Year 4 having at least quadrupled their exposure to digital tools, with higher credits awarded to "digital" in the case of particular elective modules or research projects. This study offers a methodology and a worked example for chemical engineering programmes seeking measurable uplift in Industry 4.0 readiness and impact on chemical engineering graduate outcomes.