Kappia, J G; Dainty, A R J and Price, A D F (2004) New perspectives in the analysis of trade and craft careers. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Despite the study of careers being one of the most active areas of social enquiry, there has been a lack of focus in the field of construction, particularly in terms of trade and craft occupations. This paper presents the results of research that explored trade and craft careers from the perspective of trainees/apprentices. Focus groups were used to reveal 15 indexed themes that defined trainees' perceptions of the term career. The results provide fresh insights into the career expectations of those embarking on construction careers and demonstrate that new entrants are highly motivated by the career development potential that the industry offers. It is argued that imposing professional/managerial career themes on the craft population could limit understanding of how individuals select, participate and orient their working lives. The results will be used to develop strategies for improving career development initiatives that redress future skill shortages and improve employee retention difficulties.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | careers; career development; craft operatives; focus groups; human resource management |
| Index terms: | craft occupation, operative, population, career, strategy, human resource management, focus group, retention, skill shortage |
| Subjects: | demography, management, professional development, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Urban Studies |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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