VALUE OF INTERNSHIP IN CONSTRUCTION CAREERS

Abstract

Tertiary institutions have, over the years, introduced the internship programmes to the undergraduates. The aim of the programme is to provide the students with opportunities to gain practical working experiences. The value of internship would be seen when there is an increase in employability of the undergraduate. The aim of this research is to determine the value of internship in the construction industry. The objectives specified are to identify the perceptions of professionals about internship in the construction industry, the perceived value in this particular industry, and to identify the factors which would affect one’s employability. After the evaluation, possible recommendations are proposed. To meet the first objective, a questionnaire survey, interviews and focus group were carried out as part of the study. The questionnaire survey consists of four sections with a total of twenty-four questions, covering the perceived benefits of the internships and the importance of internship in the construction industry. Through the convenience and snowball sampling methods adopted, a total of 106 responses were collected. Five experts from the industry were interviewed, and a focus group session which involved three professionals was conducted. The views collated contributed towards the results. It was found that quantity surveyors and civil engineers value the importance of internship greatly as compared to project managers. Additionally, they are more likely to hire the trained interns. Facility managers and architects value internship the least and are the most unlikely to offer positions to the interns. In the second objective, it was discovered that facility managers and architects placed more importance in hiring a candidate with good personality as compared to related work experiences. In addition, respondents value candidates with strong communication skills and research and analytical skills. Finally, for the third objective, recommendations such as providing real work and an identified mentor to provide guidance, have been proposed to improve the five professions’ perceived value of internship.