Exploratory analysis on students' valued skills in the construction industry

With the evolving construction industry needs, the traditional engineering curriculum is limited in training construction professionals. The National Science Foundation latest reports indicate that industry valued skills are changing. Employers are interested in recruiting individuals with technical as well as contemporary and interdisciplinary abilities. The Associated General Contractors of America stated their concern about skilled professional supply. Workforce development has been of a growing interest in the industry. The need for administrative data to better understand construction graduates is growing, according to the National Academies. At the same time, student employability and retention are both focal points for universities, which makes the need for a students' skills analysis as important as their demographics. This study suggests applying an exploratory analysis on students that have completed mandatory internships as part of their construction program at Arizona State University (ASU). The framework for the analysis is based on a literature review of social studies applied to construction programs. Variables such as scaled academic achievement, internship sector choice, and total grade attained on industry evaluation are part of the analyzed model. The collected data include scores on questions graded by direct evaluators from the companies as well as evaluations graded by the academic unit; reflecting each student's performance based on recent student learning objectives as defined by the American Council for Construction Education. The results from this study show that the highest predictors of student success in the industry are ingenuity and creativity, punctuality and attendance, and lastly initiative. Finally, findings from this study can support decision makers in the employment process, and the final suggestions explore a novel approach to look at investment in students by industry partner companies.