Factors Influencing the Employability of Built Environment Graduates in Nigeria’s Construction Sector
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Abstract
Employers of labour in Nigeria’s construction companies consider particular attributes and features in graduates before employing them. This study aims to identify the factors that affect graduates' employability in the built environment. It aims to achieve this by examining the types of graduates employed by contracting firms, determining the criteria that firms use to employ these graduates, and assessing the level of satisfaction among employers with the performance of the employed graduates. This project was completed by administering questionnaires to forty construction companies' top personnel (managing directors, CEOs, and project managers). The research revealed that technical knowledge has the highest level of significance. The other factors in decreasing order of significance are technical experience, intelligence/IQ, and confidence. The study found that willingness to learn has the highest level of significance among the attributes and skills that graduates should possess. Other performance and attributes in decreasing order of significance are: obedience to instructions. Team-working skills and creativity have the same level of significance. This means that graduate employees currently working with firms demonstrate a higher willingness to learn than any other attribute. This study provides valuable insight into the type of skills and attributes students of knowledge in the built environment should develop in preparation for the labour market, and the curriculum structure higher citadels of learning should adopt.
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