Excoriating the truth behind the student recruitment crisis: A comparison between civil engineering and building construction courses

Graduate civil engineering and building degree students provide an invaluable source of professionally qualified managers and engineers into the UK construction industry. Without graduate entrants, the quality and efficiency of the industry (and projects within it) would be severely affected in the future. Unfortunately over recent years, the number of undergraduate applications to civil engineering and building courses has been in decline. Using applications data obtained from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), recent research work has accurately modelled this decline using quadratic model equations. This paper aims to build upon this a priori research by presenting a comparative analysis between the two student cohorts. Results reveal great synergy between the two sectors and point towards a major crisis in student recruitment. A discussion of possible reasons underlying this observed trend is provided together with constructive suggestions for reversing it. The paper suggests that a more holistic approach is required which embraces all sectors of the industry; academic, practitioners and professional, if the future of the industry is to be secured.