| Author: | Yamoah Agyemang, Daniel |
| Title: | Preparing construction management students towards a knowledge-based economy : a comparative study of developed and emerging economies |
| Advisors: | Fong, S. W. Patrick (BRE) |
| Degree: | Ph.D. |
| Year: | 2022 |
| Subject: | Construction industry -- Study and teaching Construction industry -- Management Knowledge management Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Department of Building and Real Estate |
| Pages: | xviii, 250 pages : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The technological insurgency which characterizes the era of Knowledge-based economy coupled with the emergence of Industry 4.0 makes the future of the construction industry very promising especially for the prepared. With many young graduates getting ready to enter the workforce amidst high unemployment rates and hiring firms' difficulty in employing people with the requisite entry-level job skills, the emphasis therefore on the essence of innovations in education and development of desired skillsets is greater now more than ever. Globally, there exist a mismatch between employers' expectations as against students (graduates) perceptions with regards to the importance of relevant skills especially in the construction industry. Education and training are therefore expected to play major roles in the provision of these new skills required to drive the knowledge-based economy. Construction Management (CM) education has tapped into Knowledge Management (KM) principles in dealing with this situation. As the World Bank report on Knowledge Economy rightly puts it, an educated and skilled population is a requisite for creating, sharing and using knowledge, a pillar of any Knowledge-based economy. This goes without saying that students in construction management education are expected to exhibit desirable skills set and competencies needed for this knowledge-based economy so as not to be rendered redundant. However, an apropos holistic framework that assesses the stance of academia and industry to bridge the widening skill gap needful for future endeavor is lacking. This research work therefore seeks to fill this gap via the following stipulated objectives: to explore past and current trends on existing literature on the numerous concepts and themes of knowledge management and construction management education; to identify and model the desirable skillsets and competencies of construction management students needed to prepare them for the knowledge-based economy; to investigate the effective teaching and learning strategies by Institutions of Higher Learning in preparing students for the knowledge-based economy both in developing and developed countries; and finally to develop and propose a comprehensive framework needed to prepare construction management students for the knowledge-based economy. The results indicate that the ever-widening expectancy gap needs action to be taken from all stakeholders involved. Although the negative constructs (the barriers to active instructional methods) were revealed to have a significant impact on the way future construction management graduates are to be prepare for the knowledge-based economy, none of the strategic measures to alleviate these barriers was identified to be ineffective. The insight from this study bridges the gap via educating both students and institutions of higher learning who may want to take note of the skill they should be cultivating in their students. Universities on the other hand can take note of the differences revealed from the skill gap in this study in whichever context be it country or industry specific and adjust relevant syllabus accordingly as well as provide effective means of impacting these desirable skillsets to the students. Employers' role in making known their expectations and objectives to graduates, focusing on the skill gaps identified and addressing key areas for improvement were highlighted. Moreover, the overall framework developed is intended to inform stakeholders such as Institutions of Higher Learning, Academic staffs, Students, Industry practitioners, government institutions and other relevant construction education related bodies about the dynamic nature of the construction industry with its associated differences in desirable skillsets and competencies and the specific efforts to extirpate their influence and ensure a future-ready construction professional. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | open access |
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