Overcoming Challenges Faced by Quantity Surveying’s Graduates In Adopting Skills For Future Employment: Employer’s Perspective

Abstract

The evolving nature of the construction industry demands a diverse set of skills and competencies from Quantity Surveying (QS) graduates. The skills of QS graduates align closely with the practice of project management which involved the practice of skills, knowledge, tools, techniques to complete tasks such as cost estimation, contract management and value engineering which important in delivering successful projects. However, the existing research falls short in providing solutions to address the significant gap between the skills possessed by QS graduates and those demanded by the industry resulting in high unemployment and underemployment rates among them. Hence, the aim of this study is to propose solutions for QS graduates to enhance their employment skills in order to meet the needs of the construction industry. The questionnaire survey was distributed among 312 experienced QS professionals working in QS consultancy firms mainly based in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur through cluster sampling technique. The findings were then further analysed by using descriptive statistics and the Relative Important Index (RII). This research revealed that inviting experienced QS professionals as guest lecturers to deliver talks is a highly effective solution to minimize the challenges encountered by QS graduates as it gives fresh insights into the construction industry. The findings from this research provide the basis for HEIs, the construction industry and QS graduates in implementing the proposed solutions to address the challenges and gaps in the skills and competencies of QS graduates. The findings are ought to contribute to the overall enhancement of employability skills among QS graduates particularly in Malaysia and optimize the productivity of construction industry.