Abstract:

The study developed comprehensive educational opportunities that were focused specifically for increasing the participation of under-represented minority high school students in accredited Construction Management (CM) programs in the United States. This was accomplished by setting an initial baseline of perceptions toward the construction industry by high school students which used a pre-test survey instrument that asked a broad range of questions; exploring the family unit’s perceptions of the construction industry and the influences the family unity have on decision-making for potential college bound students, student perception of education criteria in construction education, and finally student perception of the construction industry. This was followed up with a post-test survey of those students that attended a week long comprehensive introduction to construction education and construction industry.

The strategy was to develop a better understanding of family unit perceptions towards the construction industry also identifying cultural complexities that are associated with decision-making process that would lead to successful recruitment of under-represented minority high school student into CM programs. The outcome was a Construction Management Camp that utilized a multifaceted approach for introduction and change of perception for students who had strong stereotypes of construction industry.

The need for a well-educated construction workforce is increasing as the United States continues to experience rapid demographic shifts which directly impact the economic strength and security of this nation. In 2010 construction managers held 523,100 jobs in a variety of construction industry sectors that range from; about 61% self-employment, 9% by specialty trade contractor business, 9% nonresidential building construction, 5% residential building construction, and the remaining percentage are employed by architectural, engineering, and related services firms. More recently the job outlook as predicted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2012-2013 Edition states that employment of construction managers is projected to increase by 17% during the 2008-2018 decade, faster than average for all occupations. In addition, graduates in CM programs are in demand due to an aging workforce that are retiring and leaving management positions. However, the Jobs Rated 2012 reported preferences for employment as a construction foreman ranked 86th out of 200 occupations based on a rating system that measured factors such as work environment, stress, physical demands, and hiring outlook. Construction laborers ranked 173rd while civil, mechanical, and electrical engineers ranked 28th, 66th, and 73rd, respectively.

The Construction Management Camp proposed to study:
- Development of Pre-test and Post-test survey instrument.
- Target high schools with a large enrollment of under-represented students.
- Implementation of Pre-test survey instrument analysis of student perceptions.
- Address the family unit’s perceptions of the construction industry.
- Identifying the family unit for under-represented minority students.
- Develop Construction Management Camp education modules.
- Document student engagement during the Construction Management Camp duration.
- Post-test students that attended the camp to collect data on perception towards the construction industry.

Keywords:

Cross-Cultural Education, Student Perceptions, Underrepresented Minorities.