Preparing Architecture Students for the Workforce: A Review of Essential Skills

Abstract

The employability of students is a matter of serious concern in the global economy. All job seekers in architecture must have the necessary skills to keep up with the pace of innovative construction techniques and technological advancement. To ensure that graduates understand and meet the demands of the job market, it makes sense to implement soft skills according to the discipline of study. Changes in architecture education need to be made in response to the soft skills emphasis to increase students' employability. This paper examines various theoretical employability concepts and models, concentrating on different skill sets to reduce the skill gap between students and the industry. The objective is to suggest a model with a set of non-technical (soft) skills that will improve the employability of assistant architects from polytechnics. The results of this study's implications will be beneficial to architecture students who concentrate on developing their soft skills as well as to institutions in their efforts to redesign their curricula to meet industry needs.