Graduate research is flawed

I am horrified that any action at all is contemplated by the group steering this research [into graduates, commissioned by the CIOB’s Presidential Commission on Higher Education]. The results are represented as fully representative of the industry and the undergraduate/graduate population, but this is likely to be substantially incorrect.

The returned employer questionnaires may not be fully representative of the companies employing graduates, and may not be representative of the nature of the work carried out by companies employing graduates. The response rate of 23% or 112 companies, is small. Government statistics show that there are around 13,000 construction companies employing eight or more people in the UK. If we assume that they could employ at least one graduate then the sample reported in this article represents only around 1% of that total. Therefore, I remain unconvinced that this study provides the reliable results necessary to formulate points for action.

I am similarly concerned about the small undergraduate and graduate sample (66). There are around 26 CIOB Accredited Centres in the UK and this, just in the Construction Management discipline, would probably involve around 1000 undergraduates and recent graduates. Therefore in this area also the data is very unreliable.

Indeed I feel that the steering of this research needs to be questioned. It was only in July last year that the CIOB commented on the excellent graduate employment rate in construction in the Times Good University Guide, stating that “…we have evidence to demonstrate to young people that there are excellent job prospects for them in the construction industry…” and “…the links between education providers and employers are improving”. Have things changed so much in a year?

If the editorial thrust of CM is to adopt a critical perspective on CIOB-related issues, this was an excellent opportunity missed.