Construction education in Ethiopia: Knowledge and skills level attained and effectiveness of internship program

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate knowledge and skills level of final-year students of undergraduate construction programs in Ethiopia and assess the effectiveness of internship and its coordination under these programs.

A mixed-methods approach is used in this study. Data were collected through two separate questionnaires, completed by students and company supervisors (professionals having experience in supervising internship students). Interviews were held with university instructors to supplement findings of the questionnaire.

The findings show the students have performance shortfalls in most of the required knowledge areas. A significant correlation was found between students’ self-evaluation and supervisors’ evaluation rankings. It was also found that both students and industry perceive the internship to have benefited them. However, the coordination of internship program was found unsatisfactory. These findings indicate there is a room for improvement in the curricula and coordination of internship program.

As performance of the construction industry (CI) is associated with the competence of professionals, it is important to assess the knowledge and skills level of students, and internship coordination for the effective development of CI. Hence, the findings of this paper will help academic institutes to review their curricula and improve their internship coordination mechanism. It has implication for industry organizations in indicating knowledge and skills gap of entry-level professionals which could be filled through training. It may also invite other researchers in the country to focus on construction education for betterment of the CI.