Regional Study: Importance of Specified Hiring Criteria for Entry-Level Road Construction Managers

 

Richard C. Ryan

University of Oklahoma

Norman, Oklahoma

 

Pin Sobharaksha

University of Oklahoma

Norman, Oklahoma

The need for new construction, renovation and maintenance of road infrastructure in the United States creates a continuous demand for management personnel with skills to manage this process. Many of the entry-level managers for this segment of the market are recruited from university construction and engineering programs. This article discusses a regional study surveying general contractors to explore the importance of specified hiring criteria for employment of entry-level road construction managers in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. It is hoped that results of this study provide insight to better prepare university graduates pursuing a management career in road construction.

Key Words :   Construction, Employment, Entry-level, Management, Road construction

Introduction

The mission of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is “to preserve and improve the United States’ 160,000 mile National Highway System, which includes the Interstate System and other roads of importance for homeland and national defense and mobility, while also improving highway safety and security, minimizing traffic congestion, and protecting the environment on these and other key facilities.” This commitment has heightened meaning based on our current experiences in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan that do not have developed and maintained road infrastructures. According to The Road Information Program (TRIP), as of 2003, eighty-four percent of the $7 trillion worth of commodities delivered annually from sites in the U.S. are transported on the nation's highways. This further reinforces that the FHWA mission is driven by necessity for survival. Meeting their objective is essential for the safe and efficient transport of U.S. people and goods.

This need for new construction, renovation and maintenance of the U.S. road infrastructure creates a continuous demand for personnel to manage this process and the associated resources. A USDOT study reported on TRIP’s website states that 47,500 jobs are generated annually for each $1 billion of federal spending on highway construction nationwide. Continued government financing for U.S. infrastructure suggests a consistent and fairly predictable road construction job market. It appears that this market will have a consistent demand for future employees.

The demand for entry-level road construction managers in the future will perhaps be more consistent than residential and commercial hiring segments. This market consistency will probably yield entry-level job potential when other market segments are not hiring. Recognizing this possibility and the increased recruitment of employees from the University of Oklahoma (OU) Construction Science (CNS) program by regional road construction employers were two primary reasons for this study. 

Another primary reason for this study was the potential employment market naturally created by the CNS program’s proximity to most major highways servicing the U.S. Illustration 1., from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), shows that critical highways to all portions of the United States run through Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The importance of building and maintaining these highways will always drive the road construction market in this region and result in employment opportunities.

 Illustration 1. : Texas Network Truck Flows; The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS)

This article presents a regional study surveying general contractors to explore the importance of specified hiring criteria for employment of entry-level road construction managers in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Survey findings will be used to help increase focus on road construction employment opportunities in the OU CNS program, help promote employment in the region and better prepare construction science graduates to be entry-level road construction managers. 

The Road Construction Market

For the purpose of this discussion the road construction market includes work associated with site preparation (primarily dirt work), related structures (bridges or overpasses) and concrete and asphalt paving. Entry-level refers to a beginning management position. This is typically the status of new graduates from university construction or engineering programs hired by construction companies. The term manager refers to a designated person helping to manage the construction process.

Demand for spending to replace and renovate road infrastructure becomes inevitable as public welfare becomes threatened. According to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, a minimum annual United States investment of $92 billion is necessary to maintain the physical condition and performance characteristics of highways and bridges over the next 20 years (Miller, 2003).  An annual investment of $126 billion is needed to improve the nation’s highways and bridges, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

As growth continues with the trade between the United States and its bordering countries, an increase in infrastructure spending will predictably take place. “NASCO and other groups will continue to promote infrastructure improvements as a vital cog in the economic development process for Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Given that the United States government will set transportation funding level for the next five to seven years, the time is now for the private and public sector to commit the effort and resources to ensure a secure, safe and efficient International Trade Corridor” (Miller, 2003).  According to the United States Commerce Department, the value of international imports and exports grew at an annual rate of 9.3 percent during the 1990’s, from $891 billion to $2.152 trillion.  NASCO sites that 2003 is the critical year for the continent’s transportation network. The North American Superhighway Coalition was created to focus on creating federal funding to upgrade the international trade corridors, most notably I-35, I-80/94, and I-29 of the U.S interstate highway system.

The President's FY 2004 budget requests $30.2 billion for the FHWA to address the challenges of maintaining and improving our road system. Increased spending for transportation infrastructure will result in more work for transportation related construction companies. With increased spending for transportation needs, an assumption can be made that there will be an increased number of jobs. With the need, willingness and financing available, the road construction market and the need for management staff to manage the work should be consistent.

The importance of the role university construction and engineering programs fill as a source of entry-level road construction managers today was highlighted in the October 2003 Journal of Management in Engineering. Gibson, Davis-Blake, Dickson and Mentel stated “Both owners and contractors need to improve coordination with universities for future recruitment of project engineering professionals. Due to the decrease in employees from other sources, this source will become increasingly important.” (Gibson, Davis-Blake, Dickson and Mentel, 2003)

As with many industries, “Greater demand will magnify the challenge of finding qualified employees in the road construction industry. Public and private sector managers alike are wondering how they will find enough qualified people to do the work.” (Cho, 1999)

The challenge of finding qualified employees and growing employer recognition of the value of a management background has expanded the opportunity for construction programs to supply graduates to this market. Roe states “construction education programs are evolving into areas usually associated with engineering and industry, firms see value in construction-centered programs.” (Roe, 2000)  The focus of construction programs on interpersonal and management skills appears to be growing in appeal to road construction employers.  

The Regional Study

Method

The study method was straightforward. The OU Instructional Review Board (OU IRB) reviewed and accepted the survey process and instrument. The survey developed by the authors asking questions about specified hiring criteria for entry-level road construction managers was sent to road construction general contractors in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.

Respondents rated the importance of specified hiring criteria based upon their company practices and preferences. An average rating was determined for each survey question. Outliers were identified based on inter-quartile range and not considered in the reported average rating.

It was assumed that the higher the average rating of the criteria, the more important the respondents considered the hiring criteria. Criteria receiving a rating above 8.0 were considered very important. The importance of individual criteria were compared within each category and then compared to all other criteria to determine those most important to the respondents. Observations were drawn from these comparisons. 

Survey Instrument 

Survey questions were divided into three categories: Personal Criteria , Background/Experience , and Technical Background . Categories and questions were selected based on the authors’ related work experiences, discussion with road construction contractors and overall objective of the survey. The included survey questions were not intended to be comprehensive pertaining to each category. It was assumed that respondents would have a basic common understanding of terms included in the questions.

Questions in the Personal Criteria section included rating importance of gender, age and personality characteristics. The authors realized that some of the study companies might view the questions pertaining to gender and age too sensitive and not respond. Questions in the Background/Experience section addressed internships and education. Employer perceptions about construction and engineering backgrounds were of particular interest to the authors. Questions in the Technical Background section addressed skill sets and credentials.  

The instrument was designed for efficient and timely completion. A scale of one (1) to ten (10) was used by the survey respondent (representative of the company completing the survey) to rank the importance to their company of each specified criteria or characteristic described in each question. Criteria ranked one (1) being not important and criteria ranked ten (10) being most important.

A cover letter from the authors was included with the survey explaining the purpose and confidentiality of the study. It was explained that study results would not be associated with any particular company or individual and only reported as aggregate data. The OU IRB required inclusion of an “Informed Consent to Participate in a Research Project Being Conducted Through the University of Oklahoma, Norman Campus” letter to be signed by the participant and returned with the survey. 

Data Collection 

Thirty companies were chosen from the AGC Road Building Contractor List for Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. These contractors were targeted based on regional location. Half the companies were chosen based on the authors’ past experience and company recognition. The rest of the companies were randomly chosen. The authors acknowledge that several selected companies had hired CNS graduates for entry-level positions in the past, thus their willingness to hire construction program graduates was already known. It should be noted however, the authors were just as curious about these companies’ ratings of the survey criteria as they were about companies with whom the program had no prior relationship.

About half of the companies did work in multiple states and the balance did work primarily in one state. Smaller volume companies typically worked primarily in one state. Yearly dollar volumes ranged from $3 million to $65 million.

A representative for each selected company (the human resource representative for the company or the manager ultimately in charge of hiring management staff) was contacted by phone. The survey, cover letter and OU IRB letter were mailed to the contact person. Upon receipt, the study was routed to the appropriate person within the company or completed by the contact person. The completed survey and signed IRB letter were mailed back to the authors.

Study Results

Nineteen (19) or sixty-three percent (63%) of the targeted companies completed and returned the survey. The authors believe that several companies decided not to participate in the survey due to wording and perception of the OU IRB accompanying letter.

All of the individuals that completed the survey were involved with the hiring process, an executive or the ultimate decision maker for the company. The average $ volume per year of the respondents was approximately $27.3 million.

Due to the subjective nature of the questions one decimal place was used to display the results. For purposes of this discussion, the authors assumed respondent rating ranges of 1-3 to be not important, 4-7 to be important and 8-10 to be very important. A standard of deviation of 2 or less indicated a pretty consistent perception from the industry respondents.  

Personal Criteria Results

Based on the results shown in Table 1. : Personal Criteria Results, the ability to communicate, persistence and punctuality were considered consistently by all respondents to be very important. Not as strongly, but still rated very important, were an aggressive attitude, flexibility to move around, ability to work independently and willingness to do manual labor.

The standard deviation is small for most questions in this category. The limited range of the ratings for most questions indicates a pretty common basis for judging potential employees. The perceived importance of willingness to do manual labor is perhaps indicative of the multiple construction management job responsibilities required for the average $ volume range of the respondents.

It is of interest to note that ten (10) of the nineteen (19) respondents did not rate the gender criteria (Questions 3, 4 and 5). The average ratings of those responding (9 respondents) indicate that gender is not a very important consideration for employment. It appears that hiring male gender employees is preferred slightly, but not considered very important.

Five (5) of the respondents did not rate the age criteria. The average ratings of those responding (14 respondents) indicate that the age ranges specified are moderately important at best. The standard deviation indicates a less consistent view, but overall these age ranges are not a strong consideration for employment. It does appear that persons falling within the 24 – 26 years or greater range are slightly preferred.

Table 1. : Personal Criteria Results 

Background/Experience Results 

Based on the results shown in Table 2. : Background/Experience Results, all criteria are considered moderately important by the respondents. The perceived importance is perhaps once again indicative of the multiple construction management job responsibilities required for the average dollar ($) volume range of the respondents.

It is of interest to note that the ratings of importance of a construction management or a civil engineering background are very close.

Table 2. : Background/Experience Results 

Technical Background Results

Based on the results shown in Table 3. : Technical Background Results, these criteria were all considered important to very important. The ability to read civil plans and computer skills were considered very important. The perceived importance is perhaps again indicative of those skills needed by the average $ volume range of the respondents.

All respondents consistently considered obtaining the 10-hour OSHA card important. It is of interest to note that the importance of the 10-hour OSHA certification was rated slightly higher than the 30-hour OSHA certification.

Table 3. : Technical Background Results 

Observations 

The authors realize that this regional study is very limited and acknowledge that generalization of these observations is done with this in mind. However, the consistent distribution of importance ratings and overall response rate support several observations that the CNS program will consider.

Several Personal Criteria received the highest importance ratings of all of the criteria included in the study. These findings reinforce the importance of certain personal characteristics and skills for success in the construction marketplace, regardless of the type of construction (ability to communicate – 9.6, persistence – 9.3 and punctuality – 9.2). Findings suggest that employers perceive the importance of personal criteria as perhaps having equal or greater value than related background or technical skills. University construction programs should continue to incorporate curriculum elements to help develop these characteristics and skills in graduates. Perhaps doing this effectively is one of the biggest challenges facing university construction programs.  

The authors acknowledge the sensitivity of the age and gender questions and reluctance of participants to answer the questions. The limited responses however suggest that age and gender are not primary considerations for employment. The importance of flexibility to move around (8.5) was not surprising as this is the nature of highway construction. The CNS program will try to better communicate this to graduates interested in highway construction to promote a better job fit.

Background/Experience results support the OU CNS program promoting the road construction market to graduates (civil engineering background – 6.6 and construction management background – 7.1). The authors acknowledge potential bias because of the survey affiliation with a construction program and note the standard deviations for these responses. Survey results however support why more regional road construction employers are seeking OU CNS graduates. This evolving “equal footing” with engineering presents a chance to better optimize employment opportunities in the regional road construction job market.

University education and internships ranked moderately important, perhaps due to emphasis typically placed on experience gained after employment by construction companies.

Technical Background results support the importance of construction curriculums incorporating road construction plan reading (8.3), estimating (7.3), scheduling (7.6) and computing skills (8.0) into curriculums. Inclusion of these components increases graduates’ overall skill sets and increases their potential employment opportunities. The OU CNS program will continue to incorporate these components into construction classes and competition team preparation. These findings also support the creation and inclusion of a highway construction class that is to be added to the curriculum starting Fall 2005.

Results also strongly support the inclusion of the OSHA certifications in construction curriculums. It is interesting to note that respondents rated the importance of the 10-hour certification slightly higher than the 30-hour certification.

Obtaining certifications was viewed as moderately important, which was consistent with ratings for education related criteria in the Background/Experience category.

Overall the authors found the study results consistent with pre-study perceptions about entry-level hiring criteria for management employment with road construction companies. The authors recognize that expanding the study population to include all regions of the U.S would better validate the findings. However, the OU CNS program will use this information to better prepare and promote graduates for the road construction market. It is hoped that this study provides insight to better prepare all university construction graduates pursuing a management career in road construction.

References

Cho, A. (1999). Help Wanted on Roads, Rail Lines and Airports.  ENR , 243 (20), 49.  

Gibson, G. E., Davis-Blake, A., Dickson, K. E. & Mentel, B. (2003). Workforce Demographics among Project Engineering Professionals – Crisis Ahead? Journal of Management in Engineering , 19 (4), 173–182.

Miller, K. (2003). North American Superhighway Builds for Trade Future. Transportation and Distribution , 44 (1), 26-39.

Roe, A. (2002). An Evolving Academic Discipline Works to Define its Contribution. ENR , 249 (17), 55-58. 

U.S. Department of Transportation (2003). Texas Network Truck Flows [WWW document]. URL http://www.dot.gov/Downloads.htm 

The Road Information Program (2004). KEY FACTS ABOUT AMERICA’S ROAD AND BRIDGE CONDITIONS AND FEDERAL FUNDING , Updated Feb 2004 [WWW document]. URL http://www.tripnet.org/nationalfactsheet.htm