Mitigating Engineering Skills Deficiency in South Africa

Abstract

Engmeermg skill shortage poses a major threat to the South Afncan built environment. The shortage of engineers in the industry hinders the ability of the government to sustain the economic growth needed for development and eradicating poverty A quantitative research technique was used through a well-structured questionnaire survey to collect data from construction professionals. These professionals include architects, surveyors, engineers, construction managers and project managers in the Gauteng province, South Africa. Standard deviation (SD) and mean item score (MS) were used to analyze the retneved data. From the survey results obtained from the analysis, it was observed that the measures that can be taken to minimize the engineering skill shortages in the built environment are promotion of STEM subjects at high school level; providing effective career counselling in high; providing opportunities for on-the-job training, among others.