Written By: Jonathan K. M. Lian, Zhi Yu Foo, Florence Yean Yng Ling

Written by : Jonathan K. M.
Lian, Zhi Yu Foo, Florence Yean Yng Ling,
Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural

Management
Published on Dec, 2017
Presented by :
Abdul Kareem
Purpose Statement.
This research investigates the value of internships
for professional careers in the built environment
(BE) sector from the perspective of industry
practitioners in Singapore.
Objectives
To investigate the perceptions of professionals working
in the BE sector about undergraduate internship
programs.
 Examine the relevance of internships for built
environment sector careers
 Recommend ways to improve internship programs.
Introduction
 Internships are important and beneficial to students because
relevant knowledge, competencies and experiences can be
acquired even before they graduate join the industry. (Knemeer
and Murphy, 2002).
 In addition to developing valuable new skills and practical know-
how, internships are a chance for students to explore their
interests and decide which career path they would like to choice
(Coco,2000)
 Many companies have also used internships as an opportunity to
identify suitable full time employees (Coco, 2000).
 Studies suggest that internships make it easier to secure a job
after graduation (Knouse et al., 1999).
 A recent study by Nunley et al. (2016) found that internship
experience increases the interview rate of recent college
graduates
Literature Review
Background of Internships
 Internship programs first be started in 1900s according to

(Weible ,2010).
 However, in recent years, internships are viewed as an

opportunity to gain employment before or upon graduation
(de Grunwald, 2012).
Literature Review
Benefits of Internships for Students
 The internship has the potential to act as a platform for students to

mature, understand themselves better and whether their chosen
industry is a good fit for them (Edwar Beck and Halim, 2008)
 The internship provides opportunities for students to clarify their

career interests (Divine et al., 2007).
 Internships develop better communication skills, job-related skills

and creative skills (Knemeyer and Murphy, 2002).
 Problem solving is one of the most important skills developed

during an internship (Molsheed et al., 2003).
Literature Review
Benefits of Internships for Employers:
 companies are turning to internship programmes to identify

potential candidates (Coco,2000).
 Internships enable firms to fill hiring gaps temporarily and also

provide a platform for employers to recruit highly qualified
students (Knemeyer and Murphy, 2002).
 By saving recruitment advertisements cost companies are able to

put potential conidates to the test by seeing their performance on
the job during their internship This would weed out unsuitable
hires.(Willison, 2012).
Research Method
The fieldwork involved three phases:
1. questionnaire survey,
2. in-depth interviews and
3. focus group discussion.
 The study focused on careers such as architects, civil
engineers, facility managers, project managers and
quantity surveyors.
Characteristic of Research Design
The questionnaire survey was a quantitative research.
 In-depth interviews was a qualitative research with industry

professionals having at least 20 years of experience in BE sector to
validate the findings of the survey.
 A focus group session was conducted with professionals in the BE

sector to brainstorm on recommendations to internship
QUESTIONNAIRE
The questionnaire consists of four sections with a total of
twenty-four questions.
 The first section contained questions to collect general
information about the respondents.
 The second section was to obtain respondents’ opinions
about internships in general.
 The third section sought to find relevancy of internships in
a construction career
 The fourth section examined other factors that may affect
an undergraduate’s employability
In-depth interviews
The subject matter of in-depth interviews is experts. The
experts were identified via convenience sampling. The
interview consisted of five questions which include
 Whether internships will increase undergraduates’

employability.
 Other factors that play a part in deciding their

employability.
 Reasons why their companies participate in internship

programs.
Focus group discussion.
 The group session acted as a platform for the industry
players to exchange and critique each other’s ideas
about internships and provide recommendations on
internships.
Sample Characteristics
 Initially, 80 questionnaires were emailed out and only

20 responses were received so convenience and
snowball sampling was carried out. This yielded an
additional 86 questionnaires. Of the 166
questionnaires sent out, 106 usable questionnaires
were received, giving a response rate of 63.8%.
Results
It was found that quantity surveyors and civil

engineers value internship the most and are more
likely to hire those who interned with them.
 Project managers also value internships but to a lesser
extent.
Facility managers and architects value internship the
least and are also least likely to offer positions to their
ex-interns.
 It is not conclusive whether internships are absolutely
necessary to increase undergraduates’ employability
upon their graduation.
Conclusion
For Student Perspective:
Doing an internship is not significantly important for a
fresh graduate’s for career development but are a likely to
increase the employability of fresh graduates who majored
in project management, quantity surveying and civil
engineering.
From the employers’ perspective,
Quantity surveyors and civil engineering companies are
significantly likely to hire fresh graduates who had interned
with them but the facility managers and architects
 do not consider internships as important and that having
completed internships does not factor highly in the hiring
decision of those two professions.
Research limitations
 The study is limited to only five professions and focused
on the perceptions of professionals and not the interns or
academic supervisors.
Practical implications
 Recommendations are made to improve internship
programs in the BE sector. These include making
internships compulsory for students who intend to
pursue civil engineering and quantity surveying
careers and the duration of internships to 6 months.

Written By: Jonathan K. M. Lian, Zhi Yu Foo, Florence Yean Yng Ling

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Written By: Jonathan K. M. Lian, Zhi Yu Foo, Florence Yean Yng Ling

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Written by : Jonathan K. M.

Lian, Zhi Yu Foo, Florence Yean Yng Ling,

Journal of Engineering, Construction and Architectural

 Internship programs first be started in 1900s according to

 However, in recent years, internships are viewed as an

 The internship has the potential to act as a platform for students to

 The internship provides opportunities for students to clarify their

 Internships develop better communication skills, job-related skills

 Problem solving is one of the most important skills developed

 companies are turning to internship programmes to identify

 Internships enable firms to fill hiring gaps temporarily and also

 By saving recruitment advertisements cost companies are able to

The questionnaire survey was a quantitative research.

 In-depth interviews was a qualitative research with industry

 A focus group session was conducted with professionals in the BE

 Whether internships will increase undergraduates’

 Other factors that play a part in deciding their

 Reasons why their companies participate in internship

 Initially, 80 questionnaires were emailed out and only

It was found that quantity surveyors and civil

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