Drivers for change in the built environment and their implications in construction management curricula at African universities

Abstract

The paper explains the context of built environment in relation to construction management and identifies the drivers of change as globalization, technology and competition. Specific drivers for change in the built environment and their impacts in the training of professionals within the built environment are described. Implications for construction management curricula in universities are explored including an examination of the construction management curricula in universities in African countries and in some overseas commonwealth countries. A review of the various construction management programmes offered in selected African Universities is carried out in order to understand their implications in the construction management curricula. There is a description of a modern trends in construction project procurement models and their incorporation in construction management training programmes. The paper highlights and compares how construction management curricula responds to current change drivers in the built environment. The paper concludes by recommending the adoption of new trends in construction management training programmes. It concludes by suggesting that there should be an improved exchange of knowledge between researchers and practitioners and how these research processes need to be modified to serve the needs of practitioners and society through relevant training and curriculum development in the construction industry.