To develop engineering education in schools, classes specialized in engineering and technology (the engineering classes) are being organized. The problem of the education content in the engineering classes is relevant.

The article presents the authors’ point of view on the competence of the future engineer and its components, it considers the concepts of soft, hard and digital skills and their importance in the education of a professional. The experience of forming these skills in "Engineering Lyceum NSTU" can be taken as a typical example.