ABSTRACT
The construction sector is particularly important to any national economy as it provides the infrastructure needed for many other sectors of the economy. In Indonesia, a developing country, contribution of the construction sector to the GDP increased from 4% in 1973 to 7% in 1994. This increase, however, is still relatively low compared to many of those in the developed countries which are typically greater than 9%. One factor, which could contribute to the relatively low contribution to the GDP, is a lack of adequate human resources in terms of quantity and quality when managing construction projects. The education and training of construction personnel in Indonesia is still far from adequate in providing the needed professionalism to manage major construction projects. Contributing to this inadequate training is a lack of university teaching professionals in the construction field. To fulfil the educational demand of construction professionals in Indonesia, an education and training scheme significantly different to the current system is required. One such scheme relies on the development of academic and research linkages with education institutions in developed countries.
This paper will present several alternative programs that have been developed or are currently being investigated for construction education in Indonesia. This paper highlights the particularly successful Master of Construction Management degree at the University of Indonesia—a program which utilises imported expertise from the School of Construction Management and Property, Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
