College - Author 1
College of Architecture and Environmental Design
Department - Author 1
Construction Management Department
Degree Name - Author 1
BS in Construction Management
Date
12-2018
Primary Advisor/Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Philip Barlow, College of Architecture and Environmental Design, Construction Management Department
Abstract/Summary
With the labor shortage being experienced in the modern construction industry, it is important that office and field management personnel stay balanced to support the gap in skilled labor. However, for the students of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, there is a trend that students are more interested in pursuing a career path in Office management, specifically that of a Project Manager. This paper determined the lack of interest in field management career path choice, specifically that of a Superintendent, by surveying the Junior and Senior students to gauge their career interests. It is concluded that there is indeed a trend towards the Project Manager route as opposed to the Superintendent route. The influential factors for student decisions are identified as: industry experience, the Cal Poly Construction Management program curriculum, and job responsibilities of each position. Minor influential factors are also considered, such as parental backgrounds and student construction sector interest. Repercussions of the research results are discussed in conclusion, with future issues of safety, higher project costs, schedule issues, and office stress being the top concerns. Construction Management Skills Training is the main solution offered for these potential effects, and is discussed in the conclusion of this paper.
URL: https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cmsp/324