Parents’ Motivation for their Child’s Participation in Construct My Future Summer Camp

Abstract

An ongoing concern in the construction industry is the lack of trained skilled workers. Attracting young people to the industry will be vital as the current workforce ages out of the industry. Understanding the younger population’s motivation regarding career choice is important in developing opportunities to expose them to the field. One element to be considered is how parents or guardians might influence their children’s choice to learn about careers in construction. This study used surveys and a grounded theory design to identify reasons or motivations why a parent or guardian chose to send their child to a summer camp focusing on the construction industry. A three- step coding process was used. Open coding identified the reasons the parents/guardians registered their children for the camp. Axial coding identified three themes with two specifically related to the construction industry. Selective coding further identified the parent/guardian’s specific reasons within those two areas of motivation. These were identified directly related to a career in construction: 1) “Spark Interest in Construction Career Option” with an introduction to the construction industry and 2) to provide a better understanding of the “Specific Construction Field and Trades.”