The Study of Guidelines for Developing Communication Skills to Support the Labor Market in the 21st Century for Construction Technician Students, Minburi Technical College

Abstract

The objective of this study is 1) to investigate the status of the development of communication skills to meet the demands of the 21^st century labor market among students majoring in construction engineering at Minburi Technical College, 2) to identify strategies for enhancing communication skills, and 3) to evaluate the suitability of the proposed communication skills development strategies to meet the demands of the 21^st century labor market among students majoring in construction engineering at Minburi Technical College. This research is divided into three phases, each aimed at achieving the following outcomes:

In Phase 1 of the study on the status of communication skills development to support the 21st-century job market among construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College, the following results were obtained:

Gender Distribution: Among the vocational certificate (Vocational Certificate or Vocational Diploma) students, 42 students were male, accounting for 55.0%, while 34 students were female, accounting for 45.0% of the total population.

Educational Levels: Among the surveyed students, 76 individuals held a vocational certificate, making up 80.0% of the sample, while 19 students had a vocational diploma, representing 20.0% of the sample. 

Age Distribution: For students with vocational certificates, the average age was 18.07 years, with a standard deviation of 0.699. Meanwhile, students with vocational diplomas had an average age of 20.05 years, with a standard deviation of 0.705.

Additionally, the researchers chose the two areas with the lowest average scores to identify strategies for developing communication skills to support the 21st-century job market among construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College. These two areas are: 1. Effective Verbal Communication: The study revealed that students exhibited the lowest average scores in the domain of speaking appropriately. 2. Content Awareness and Accuracy: Another critical aspect where students scored relatively lower was their ability to comprehend and convey content accurately.

These findings provide a foundation for devising targeted approaches to enhance these specific communication skills among construction engineering students, aligning them better with the demands of the 21st-century job market.

            In Phase 2 of the research, the researchers aimed to identify strategies for developing communication skills to support the 21^st century job market among construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College. Building upon the data obtained in Phase 1, the researchers focused on two specific areas: appropriate verbal communication and content awareness and accuracy.

            For Effective Verbal Communication, the researchers conducted group discussions to explore avenues for skill development. It was found that developing appropriate verbal communication skills for construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College could be achieved through targeted activities aimed at increasing knowledge and communication skills. These activities include 1. Building Confidence 2. Academic Language Proficiency 3. Creating Feasible Learning Scenarios 4. Utilizing Technology 5. Listening and Responding 6. Creativity 7. Recording and Analyzing 8. Group Support 9. Feedback and Evaluation and 10. Review and Improvement.

For the aspect of Content Awareness and Accuracy, which emphasizes understanding content and maintaining accuracy, the following activities were suggested 1. Data Reading and Analysis 2. Report Writing Practice 3. Content Explanation 4. Encouraging Debate and Critique 5. Utilizing Various Media for Presentations 6. Project Design 7. Learning through Models or Simulations 8. Ensuring Data Accuracy 9. Supporting Research and Reading and 10. Technology Integration for Learning.

These strategies aim to address the specific communication skill development needs identified in Phase 1 and provide a structured approach to enhance communication skills among construction engineering students, aligning them with the requirements of the 21^st century job market at Minburi Technical College.

In Phase 3 of the research, the suitability of the developed strategies for enhancing communication skills to support the 21^st century job market among construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College, specifically in the areas of appropriate verbal communication and content awareness and accuracy, was evaluated.

The evaluation involved input from both employers and Thai language instructors at Minburi Technical College. A total of 10 participants, comprising 5 employers and 5 Thai language instructors, provided unanimous agreement that the strategies for assessing the suitability of communication skills development, focusing on appropriate verbal communication and content awareness and accuracy, for construction engineering students at Minburi Technical College were indeed suitable for real-world application, with a unanimous agreement rate of 100%. This high level of agreement reinforces the appropriateness and effectiveness of the proposed strategies, suggesting their potential value in preparing students for the demands of the 21^st century job market in the field of construction engineering.