Perceptions of Skilled Trade Students on Factors Impacting the Decision to Pursue a Construction Career

9 pages•Published: June 9, 2021

Mohammadreza Ostadalimakhmalbaf, Edelmiro Escamilla, Fatemeh Pariafsai, Anusree Saseendran and Manish Dixit

Abstract

The construction industry is confronted with a critical shortage of skilled trade workers, which greatly hampers its growth and labor productivity. This shortage of workforce mainly stems from a lack of effective strategies for recruiting and retaining students in construction programs, which can be addressed by fully understanding major factors that influence student decisions to pursue a career in the industry. This study investigated the perceptions and opinions of students on developing a long-term career in the construction industry. The study data were gathered by surveying students enrolled in construction trade programs at three institutions in Texas. A total of 154 responses allowed for specific examination of the impact of family units and social media on student career decisions, factors leading participants to select a construction program, and participant perceptions of the construction industry. For unbiased analysis, the collected data were stratified by socioeconomic descriptions such as demographics and family household composition. The results revealed that skilled trade students have a positive perception of the construction industry. The findings of this study can provide planners and decision-makers with effective strategies for student retention and recruitment in construction trade programs.

Keyphrases: construction education, decision making, hispanic construction workers, skilled trade students

In: Tom Leathem, Anthony Perrenoud and Wesley Collins (editors). ASC 2021. 57th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference, vol 2, pages 524-532.

Links:	https://easychair.org/publications/paper/ggVf
	https://doi.org/10.29007/x52h

BibTeX entry

@inproceedings{ASC2021:Perceptions_Skilled_Trade_Students,
  author    = {Mohammadreza Ostadalimakhmalbaf and Edelmiro Escamilla and Fatemeh Pariafsai and Anusree Saseendran and Manish Dixit},
  title     = {Perceptions of Skilled Trade Students on Factors Impacting the Decision to Pursue a Construction Career},
  booktitle = {ASC 2021. 57th Annual Associated Schools of Construction International Conference},
  editor    = {Tom Leathem and Anthony Perrenoud and Wesley Collins},
  series    = {EPiC Series in Built Environment},
  volume    = {2},
  publisher = {EasyChair},
  bibsource = {EasyChair, https://easychair.org},
  issn      = {2632-881X},
  url       = {/publications/paper/ggVf},
  doi       = {10.29007/x52h},
  pages     = {524-532},
  year      = {2021}}

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