A survey to evaluate desirable qualifications for employment among today’s Architecture and Design businesses.

Abstract

This research evaluates the quality of recent graduates from the Architecture and Design programs within the Faculty of Architecture, Urban Design, and Creative Arts at Mahasarakham University. The Bachelor of Architecture Program contains the disciplines of Architecture, Urban Design, Landscape Design, and Interior Design. The Bachelor of Fine Arts Program contains the Creative Arts discipline. It was conducted by studying the employers’ satisfaction and demands on the graduates’ qualifications. This was undertaken in order to seek direction for developing students in accordance with TQF (Thailand Qualifications Framework) on HR (Human Resources) and demand in the Architecture and Design industry.

This research is a survey research. Collect data by using a questionnaire from 221 graduates with a bachelor's degree and the employer of the architectural and design job market in the current situation. Collected data was analyzed by descriptive statistic: frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation.

The research is based upon a survey questionnaire given to the graduates’ current employers. Survey questions covered the 5 qualification standards from the TQF (with scores 1-5): 1 Ethical and Moral Development (4.48), 2 interpersonal skills and responsibility (4.40), 3 cognitive skills (4.36), 4 Knowledge (4.34), 5 analytical and communication skills (4.30), respectively.

Additional survey questions ask employers to score the graduates’ grasp of the office culture, including their professional and interpersonal abilities. These questions rate the graduates’: 1 professional demeanor (4.52), 2 their interpersonal skills (4.51), 3 their ability to apply professional skills (within the office and with other disciplines) (4.40), 4 their ability to apply knowledge (4.39), 5 their enthusiasm and motivation (4.23), and 6 their overall self-confidence (3.91).

             Communication skills: 1 reading skills (4.45) 2 writing skills (4.19) 3 listening skills (3.99) and 4 speaking skills (3.98), respectively.

Language and communication skills for presentations: 1 presentation technique, concise content, clarity (4.33), 2 use of modern technology (4.32), 3 systematic thinking (4.21), 4 integrating information within presentation (3.88) and 5 English language skills (3.61).

In addition, inquiry of asking employers of architecture and design graduate users to understand the needs of the current job market. It is important to prepare the curriculum and prepare courses to produce graduates to meet the needs of today's job market.