Muya, M; Mulenga, M N; Bwalya, D C; Edum-Fotwe, F T and Price, A D F (2004) Long period analysis of construction skills supply in Zambia. In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
The development of requisite skills in the right numbers to match the sector demands in construction within Zambia forms an essential aspect of the ability of construction companies to deliver projects efficiently. In Zambia the availability of these skills is influenced by a number of factors including the training provision which governs the supply of the skills, sector and sub-sector volume capacity which drives the demand for the skills, and other socio-cultural as well as public sector policy on skills development. The nature of the interaction between the two principal factors of demand and supply for a developing country such as Zambia is particularly relevant as these two factors are self-reinforcing and also impact on the other socio-politico cultural factors. The paper explores the interaction the two factors by examining the supply pattern of selected construction skills and how they reflect current skills needs (demand) of construction companies in Zambia. The scope of the analysis is craft-based and technician grade skills. The benefits of the analysis derives not only from the potential to identify possible skills shortfalls to inform public policy, but also highlight any change in the composition of the skills base that the supply organisations (construction sector training providers) may have to address.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction; skills; training; policy; demand; supply; Zambia |
| Index terms: | skills development, construction company, Zambia, public sector, developing country, interaction, public policy, construction sector |
| Subjects: | organization, public policy, Geography, personnel development, development economics, industry analysis, administrative law, behavioral psychology |
| Topics: | Human Resources, International Construction, Legal Issues, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Governance |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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