Engineers are facing a communication gap like never before. Companies rely on engineers to develop project pitches and write reports efficiently. The problem today is that engineering students are not learning the expected skills. Author Ian Skinner, who holds a master's degree from the Australian National University, has studied the growing communications gap. In his journal, “Integrating Academic Literacy Support into the Electrical Engineering Curriculum: A Case Study,” he identifies how institutions manage the communication gap. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay To open, Skinner begins by identifying what academic literacy is. According to Skinner, academic literacy is also known as “necessary communication skills” (Skinner 547). What it identifies is not the same as the abilities to read, write, and speak in a widely accepted language. The difference that academic literacy offers is that students are able to understand what they read or write organized reports. Academic literacy is the set of communication skills that can be directly transferred to work scenarios. The problem Skinner raises is that these are skills that are not directly taught to students (Skinner 547). Basic communication is taught worldwide to almost all students from the elementary level. In many cases, this is taught even earlier. Students typically complete basic literacy training around secondary school. The problem is that very few people know when students acquire academic knowledge. Skinner states that "there are not many programs in the world that are successful in addressing academic literacy." Whether it's the lack of experienced communications teachers or the fact that most students do well, academic literacy is not a topic commonly addressed by institutions. Delving further into the subject, Skinner writes that “for most institutions, it is virtually assumed that the student has basic information and skills in academic literacy” (Skinner 548). This shows that there are not many institutions taking students' literacy to the next level. Specifically, Skinner writes about his study of the University of New South Wales. As an example, Ian Skinner visited the University of New South Wales (UNSW) in Australia and looked at what it has done and is doing in academic literacy. In speaking with their communications department, he learned how UNSW approached the issue of academic literacy. He states that "the most common way to acquire academic knowledge comes from the expected work and tests provided by the program without much help or special attention directly necessary." In the past, this has been UNSW's perspective and approach to academic literacy. For many other institutions, this is currently their solution to improving students' communication skills (Skinner 550). What these institutions are missing is that the goal of teaching students, even at the college level, should be to teach students the communication skills expected of them after obtaining their their diploma and on the market of