Farrell, P and Gale, A (2003) Career progression path as a determinant of site manager skills. In: Greenwood, D J (ed.) Proceedings of 19th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2003, Brighton, UK.
Abstract
Three distinct career progression paths (CPPs) exist for site managers: (1) through the crafts, (2) craft training followed by undergraduate study, usually on a part-time basis, and (3) undergraduate study. An analysis of the problems associated with the role of the site manager found that CPP is sometimes an important criterion used by employers in the appointment of site managers. There is no evidence that supports any one CPP being better than another. It is argued that craft site managers do not have the academic tools and underpinning knowledge required to manage construction projects, but they do command the respect of the workforce. Graduate site managers have difficulty managing practical problems and they have few life-time experiences that they can share with the craftspeople they supervise. Opportunities for graduate site managers to gain some craft appreciation skills are limited. The research question that arose was 'which site manager CPP, if any, contributes best towards the development of site manager skills? Twelve site management skills were selected from the literature. The methodology comprised a postal questionnaire supported by a literature review, a pilot study and exploratory interviews. The sample size was 1286, and the response rate 26.9%. Parametric statistical techniques were used to analyse the data. It is found inter alia that CPPs can be ranked in sequence of how they contribute towards the development of site manager skills. The craft training with graduate study CPP, and the graduate CPP were jointly ranked first. The craft CPP was ranked last. It is concluded that more craft site managers should be encouraged to supplement their practical experience with some academic learning. The Construction Skills Certificate Scheme card for site managers should be considered as only the first step for craft site managers in enhancing their qualifications.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | career progression; craft training; site manager; skills |
| Index terms: | graduate study, literature review, sample size, qualification, interview, determinant, evidence, questionnaire, methodology, site manager, career, undergraduate, construction project, site management |
| Subjects: | higher education, educational resources, research methods, professional development, production management, data analysis and analytics, curriculum development, construction operations, research design and methodology, risk assessment, data collection methods, evaluation and assessment methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Information Management, Risk Management, Roles and Professions, Education, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here