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Panelists clash over the effectiveness of academia
00:00 04 Jun 1997
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The only cross-fire of disagreement between the three panelists
concerned the effectiveness of academia to create a grounding for
the next generation of construction managers to break the mould of
industry.
Challenging Colin Gray, Peter Rogers accused courses in construction management of being "cosy and not doing their proper job".
He said: "We must address the wider issues of how to make a building at degree level. In the US where I worked for some years, CM's major in construction but also study architecture and engineering as well which makes them far better qualified to oversee all aspects of the building process."
defence
In defence of his MSc course in Construction Management at Reading, Gray said that the course was changed every year to keep up with the latest issues across the broad spectrum of the industry but that not enough English people were taking it.
"Most of my students are from overseas," he said. "The MSc is not valued enough in UK industry. There is little funding available for the one year course and when the students who do the course get to the work place they aren't put in to the right place quickly enough. Companies aren't taking advantage of their skills and they get frustrated," he said.
Gray defended undergraduate courses from Rogers' urge to make them broader. "Our undergraduate courses are very specialized and that's our great strength. US Master courses are the same level as our undergraduate courses," he said. "We can compensate for the lack of training in the broader issues in other ways, specifically with the technology clusters."
Macpherson agreed that the industry lacks commitment to training. He lamented the lack of on-the-job training within construction companies.
determined
"In a world class company, there should be 15 days of training a year per man. UK construction companies average one per man which is an appalling statistic. At Mace we average six days of training per man and we're determined to get to 15 by the end of the year."
Macpherson agreed with Rogers that both training and the industry's attitude to it need to change.
"It's logical that courses in construction management need to be broader at the under grad stage and specialised at the Masters stage. Every other country in the world has learnt that lesson and I think the UK will follow suit in the next few years," he said.n
Challenging Colin Gray, Peter Rogers accused courses in construction management of being "cosy and not doing their proper job".
He said: "We must address the wider issues of how to make a building at degree level. In the US where I worked for some years, CM's major in construction but also study architecture and engineering as well which makes them far better qualified to oversee all aspects of the building process."
defence
In defence of his MSc course in Construction Management at Reading, Gray said that the course was changed every year to keep up with the latest issues across the broad spectrum of the industry but that not enough English people were taking it.
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"Most of my students are from overseas," he said. "The MSc is not valued enough in UK industry. There is little funding available for the one year course and when the students who do the course get to the work place they aren't put in to the right place quickly enough. Companies aren't taking advantage of their skills and they get frustrated," he said.
Gray defended undergraduate courses from Rogers' urge to make them broader. "Our undergraduate courses are very specialized and that's our great strength. US Master courses are the same level as our undergraduate courses," he said. "We can compensate for the lack of training in the broader issues in other ways, specifically with the technology clusters."
Macpherson agreed that the industry lacks commitment to training. He lamented the lack of on-the-job training within construction companies.
determined
"In a world class company, there should be 15 days of training a year per man. UK construction companies average one per man which is an appalling statistic. At Mace we average six days of training per man and we're determined to get to 15 by the end of the year."
Macpherson agreed with Rogers that both training and the industry's attitude to it need to change.
"It's logical that courses in construction management need to be broader at the under grad stage and specialised at the Masters stage. Every other country in the world has learnt that lesson and I think the UK will follow suit in the next few years," he said.n
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