A study of the impacts of variable factors on built environment graduates' prospects

Poon, J and Brownlow, M (2016) A study of the impacts of variable factors on built environment graduates' prospects. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 12(2), pp. 99-121. ISSN 1557-8771

Abstract

This article investigates the impacts of variable factors, such as practical experience and factors related to study style, on employment outcomes and patterns of built environment graduates in Australia. This article also compares the employment prospects of different built environment sub-disciplines, including Architecture, Construction, Real Estate and Urban Planning and Regional Studies. Practical experience and the possibility of work with final year employers after graduation were found to have a statistically significant impact on the employment outcomes for graduates of built environment and all of its sub-disciplines. However, degree level and type of university attended were not found to have a statistically significant impact. Attendance type and employment mode in the final year of study had a statistically significant impact on the employment patterns for graduates of built environment and all of its sub-disciplines. The graduates who studied part-time and worked full-time in their final year of study were more likely to secure full-time jobs after graduation. The findings presented in this article can be used by built environment graduates to identify the variable factors that they can change in order to enhance their employment prospects.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: irrigation; environmental science; employment; college graduates; construction industry
Index terms: construction industry, built environment, real estate, Australia, employment, environmental science, college graduate, urban planning
Subjects: environmental science, urban planning, real estate economics, infrastructure and transport systems, industry analysis, sociology, Geography, management
Topics: Geographical Context, Research Practice, Governance, Sustainability, Stakeholder Management, Human Resources, Urban Studies
Descriptive scope: 3 PCT

N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here