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Students' Perceptions of Employability Towards Interdisciplinary Education in the Construction Engineering Programme in New Zealand

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Applied Degree Education and the Shape of Things to Come

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Educational Technology ((LNET))

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Abstract

Technical skills alone can no longer fulfil and adapt to industry and market demands as an economy grows. Enterprises now need a broader skillset than a single professional or technical expertise. This signifies that the company's needs for personnel are technical and soft skills. Soft skills comprise teamwork, critical thinking, and general thinking capabilities (Becerik-Gerber et al. in Handle Proxy, 2006). Methodology: A questionnaire survey was developed and distributed to all the thirty two year-two and three-degree Bachelor of Construction—quantity surveying and construction management programmes in one higher education polytechnic in New Zealand. Findings: This paper shows that students undertaking those interdisciplinary electives reported a significantly stronger development of work-ready skills in the industry. Specifically, interaction with industry, bi-cultural awareness and problem-solving skills were more developed. Originality/value—This study advances our knowledge of the relationship between interdisciplinary education and students' perceptions of their employability. The goal of this study is to increase understanding of interdisciplinary course design and pedagogy and strengthen the connection between learning and work in New Zealand by examining the effectiveness of interdisciplinary learning with a focus on social-cultural aspects in programmes related to construction engineering in New Zealand.

Yin Fang Zheng and Kam Yuen Cheng conducted the research; Yin Fang Zheng and Kam Yuen Cheng wrote the literature review section; Kam Yuen Cheng analysed the data, findings, and conclusion and reviewed the report; all authors approved the final version.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ara Institute of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

    Kam Yuen Cheng & Yin Fang Zheng

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  1. Kam Yuen Cheng
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  2. Yin Fang Zheng
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Correspondence to Kam Yuen Cheng .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Central Queensland University, Brisbane, QLD, Australia

    Christina Hong

  2. Tung Wah College, Hong Kong, China

    Will W. K. Ma

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Cheng, K.Y., Zheng, Y.F. (2023). Students' Perceptions of Employability Towards Interdisciplinary Education in the Construction Engineering Programme in New Zealand. In: Hong, C., Ma, W.W.K. (eds) Applied Degree Education and the Shape of Things to Come. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9315-2_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-9315-2_9

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  • Online ISBN: 978-981-19-9315-2

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