"I Wish for More Than I Ever Get": Employers’ Perspectives on Employability Attributes of Architecture Graduates

Abstract

This research considers graduate recruitment for architecture graduates. Employers in small, medium and large Australian firms, from the private and public sector were surveyed about their graduate hiring practices. Through distilling the discipline specific Graduate Attributes for all Australian Architecture Schools’ Architecture Programs, and generic Graduate Attributes for their Universities, the researcher compiled a questionnaire which was administered to prospective employers of architecture graduates. The results reveal that the possession of technical knowledge is more highly rated as a Graduate Attribute in recruitment than the possession of design knowledge/skills, and that the possession of Computer Aided Design (CAD) representation skills is more important to graduate recruiters of all firm sizes than either technical or design knowledge and skills. The research further revealed that the presentation of a portfolio is a key recruitment tool for employers, and that the demonstration of team work is a highly valued generic attribute for employers.