Assessment by employers of newly graduated civil engineers from the Islamic University of Gaza

Abstract

The evaluation process is very important to identify and recognize the strengths and the weaknesses of graduated students. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the performance of the newly graduated civil engineers from the Islamic University of Gaza in Palestine. The methodology was based on questionnaires and informal interview. The population of this study consisted of 35 contractors and 7 Owners. The questionnaire was developed to evaluate the quality of the Islamic University civil engineers who have obtained their degrees in the past five years. The evaluation involved several aspects such as practical, social, ethical, technical writing, communication skills, and computer skills. The results indicate that most of the Islamic University civil engineers have some practical problems in construction sites. On the other hand, they have several strong characteristics such as computer skills, ability to develop themselves, and an understanding of ethical responsibilities. Some recommendations and suggestions are proposed to improve the performance of the graduate civil engineers in the practice.

Keywords:

• Assessment
• Civil engineers
• Construction
• Contractors
• Employers

Acknowledgements

Authors' thanks are extended to the Office of Academic Assessment at Kuwait University for permission to use their questionnaire in our survey.