The career choice influence of new entrant construction craft workers
journal contribution
posted on 2014-06-26, 11:48authored byJoseph G. Kappia, Andrew R.J. Dainty, Andrew Price
Concerns abound over the construction industry’s inability to address
its poor public image and attract sufficient numbers of new craft
workers to overcome skills shortages. This paper reports on research
which identifies the key influences on the career choice of craft
workers. Career choice influences were examined via a questionnaire
study of over 550 craft trainees and a series of focus groups and
interviews in which informants discussed the social and psychological
antecedents to their decision to embark upon a construction craft
career. The results reveal the interplay of influences which shape the
decisions of the participants. In particular, they reveal the powerful
influence of parents, friends and relations on the choice process. It is
suggested that there is a need for a new approach to marketing the
industry’s career opportunities which seeks to influence all within
society as to the merits of the sector and not just the potential new
entrants themselves.
History
School
Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering
Citation
KAPPIA, J., DAINTY, A.R.J. and PRICE, A.D.F., 2005.The career choice influence of new entrant construction craft workers. Construction Information Quarterly , 2005, 7 (3), pp. 97 - 102 (Construction Paper 187).