Lets get together

Research commissioned by the CIOB shows that industry dissatisfaction with construction graduates is still widespread.

Around 30% of firms surveyed said they felt the quality of graduates had declined in the last couple of years, while only 10% said they’ve seen an improvement. Half of employers say new recruits are weak in management, problem-solving and team-working.

Alan Crane, chair of the group steering the research, which is part of the CIOB Presidential Commission on Higher Education and Construction, says the findings are disappointing, but that he is optimistic industry and universities together could improve the situation.

“There is still a lot more to do,” he said. “We’ve got to find a way, as an institute and as an industry, to convey to universities what we want from graduates. But at the same time it’s not our job to tell universities how to educate people.”

Researchers targeted both students and employers. Focus groups were assembled at seven universities around the country. Researchers talked to 43 undergraduates and 23 graduates.

The second element was a survey of 500 employers: 73% of them contractors, 12% consultants and 15% local authorities. There were 112 responses, a 23% return. Half of them employed more than 250 staff.

While 49 of them, mostly smaller companies, had no plans to hire graduates, half of respondents expect to hire more graduates over the next few years. Two thirds say they currently find it at least fairly difficult to recruit the graduates they need.

The undergraduates

Why did they choose construction? Big reasons were: good job and salary prospects, a desire to achieve something tangible, and familiarity (60% of students had family in the industry). Schools had offered little positive encouragement and careers services were barely mentioned.

Those entering straight from A levels had found it difficult to understand the industry sufficiently to decide what job role they wanted. So they had to study the course descriptions for clues. A common rationale for choosing construction management was that it appeared to leave their options open.

A range of factors influenced the choice of university; CIOB accreditation was one of these. The placement was a draw for most of those without experience and those on a sponsored course welcomed a close relationship with their firm to make contacts, make sense of theory and, with any luck, get a job. The extra year was not seen as a drawback, but rather as a respite from having to survive on a student loan.

They wondered how relevant courses were. Some had already experienced sessions that they struggled to match with what they thought they’d need to know. Others, though appreciating the value of a common core approach, had reservations about its success. Some wondered whether it was driven by a cost rationale.

The graduates

For them, placements were the most valuable element. Site visits were essential and input from employers appreciated. They, too, thought some components were irrelevant (although several, who’d been promoted in their jobs, said they now realised the point of some subjects like strategic management and economics).

Some had believed that course completion automatically made them MCIOBs. They felt that companies had provided more information on this than the universities.

Employers have concerns about the quality of graduates. Only one in 10 saidit had improved in the last couple of years, while one in three say the quality has deteriorated. The students could see why. They criticised the calibre and commitment of their classmates. Many were angry about being let down in group assessments and that others appeared to be allowed to coast through examinations and assignments. They believed that the university emphasis on retention was having a detrimental effect.

we’ve got to find a way... to convey to universities what we want from graduates

Alan crane, CIOB

The job market

Employers say it’s hard to find managers and professionals. The CIOB survey showed that the quality and quantity of applicants were the most often cited reasons behind these difficulties. Employers operating nationally cite the quality of applicants as a hindrance while locally based employers say salary, training and development are the big issues.

All the graduates who had done placements stayed with their company or found another job easily. They were most interested in salary and continued training. The only graduate who struggled had been full-time with no previous experience in the industry. It took three job steps for him to be deemed employable. None of the undergraduates were anxious about getting a job – or being promoted, if they were part-time. They trusted that their degree would give them an edge.

Offering vacation work is the most common approach to attract newly-qualified graduate applicants (57%), followed by advertising in the press and on own employer websites (around half of all employers use these approaches). However, 47% of respondents say contact with particular university departments is a method they use.

Construction management and surveying courses are preferred by around a half of survey respondents. However, only one in three employers (mainly smaller more locally based organisations) have a preference for CIOB/RICS accredited courses. One in four respondents say that they will take graduates from any construction related course and one in five, predominantly larger companies, are interested in graduates from non-construction related subjects. This may be significant given that criticism is levelled at some construction management courses for inadequately preparing graduates in generic skills.

Just under half of employers say they have no preference in relation to course formats. Smaller, more local, organisations have a preference for part-time students while larger nationally operating employers are much more likely to prefer sponsored and sandwich students.

Graduate capability

The national research indicats that 50% of employers identify skills gaps in new recruits with managers weak on: managerial skills, problem-solving and team-working skills; and professionals weak on: practical and technical skills.

Employers believe that generic skills are more important than construction specific skills. Team working and communication consistently emerges as a high skill level requirement.

Employers are fairly satisfied with the skill levels of their graduates. This is especially the case in IT, ability to work with others and communication skills. They think they fall short on leadership, management, project management and estimating.

Graduates felt they were thrown in “at the deep end” when they started work – even those who’d been on placement. Mentoring or coaching would have helped. Some met inertia or even hostility from managers reluctant to recognise their potential as graduates, even though most felt that they were well prepared for work.

Mindful of building their career, graduates had begun or were looking into becoming chartered. Some of their companies, however, were unfamiliar with the process.

So what now? Crane says the commission will meet again in the autumn to decide a course of action based on the research findings. One possible route would be to call together a group of senior industry figures to arrive at a more precise definition of what industry wants in its graduates. That information could be fed back to the CIOB’s accreditation panel who would convey it to the universities.

While the research seems to confirm anecdotal evidence for a divide between industry and academia, Crane insists he is not despondent.

“This is happening at the right time. We’ve turned a corner in the decline of applications to built environment university courses. It was in decline between roughly 1997 and 2003 but now numbers are rising. The research shows that with some additional effort from the industry and the Institute, and with input from the universities, we can crack this nut.”