Matching project management education and training to the needs of the construction industry in Kuwait

Abstract

The last decade has witnessed a growing prosperity in the Middle East. This trend has created challenges for the construction sector in terms of attracting talented employees and highly skilled project managers. This dissertation argues that the current level of education and training courses available for project managers in the Kuwaiti construction sector are insufficient to meet the requirements of their work. Thus, the primary aim of this dissertation is to explore the level of education and training currently available to project managers in the construction sector in the State of Kuwait and to assess the requirements of project management skills and education in that sector. To achieve this purpose, data were collected via a questionnaire instrument from 80 project managers. The results showed that project managers put great emphasis on training for improving their work. Project managers' skills assessment suggested that more emphasis should be placed on 'technical skills', 'organisational skills' and 'communication skills.' The organisational assessment revealed a lack of consideration for training courses and education in the strategic direction of construction firms. Based on these results, establishing a linkage between training and performance improvement processes in construction organisations is strongly recommended.

Date of Award	2008
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Coventry University
Supervisor	Robby Soetanto (Supervisor) & Messaoud Saidani (Supervisor)