Student participation in professional organisations: the need for innovation

Professional organisations in construction management and built environment list many benefits of membership, including professional development and engagement with fellow professionals. However, despite free membership for students, their membership and retention is generally low and it is important for the future of professional organisations to determine reasons for this disinterest. Do current students understand the benefits of professional organisations and place any value on membership? This paper presents the findings of a research project to better understand why recruitment of students and their active participation in professional organisations is low. A questionnaire survey was conducted across the students of the degrees of construction management in Deakin University to obtain the evaluations of the membership, while interviews were undertaken with representatives of professional organisations to determine the alignment between the parties. Student expectations of membership were shown to be a mismatch with the stated benefits offered by the professional organisations, or at least with how these benefits are communicated. Possible improvements are suggested to ensure that, in this era of instant communications and access to information, professional organisations innovate to remain relevant to the future leaders of their industry.