Chan, P W and Connolly, M (2006) The role of schools careers advisers in encouraging new entrants into construction. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 22nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2006, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract
Despite studies and initiatives into tackling the problem of skills shortages, the lack of new entrants into the industry is worrying. Take-up of Modern Apprenticeships in Construction is low. Furthermore, research suggests that school children are not aware of career opportunities in construction and many do not undertake activities that instil interest in construction at school. This research attempts to plug the gap by exploring the perceptions of schools careers advisers in encouraging new entrants into the construction industry. Through interviewing eight careers advisers in five secondary schools across the Northeast of England, the study examines the process of giving careers advice to potential school leavers and the careers advisers' perceptions towards the construction industry. The findings reveal that careers advice is given to students about the construction industry. However, this process is less than ideal and contains pitfalls that potentially prevent access of information about construction careers to the students. On a more optimistic note, the careers advisers' perceptions of the construction industry appear somewhat positive.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | careers advice; perceptions; pupils; schools; skills shortages |
| Index terms: | England, secondary school, children, pupil, career, apprenticeship, shortages, construction industry |
| Subjects: | economic analysis, Geography, professional development, demography, sociology, educational institutions, professional education, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Education, Urban Studies, Stakeholder Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management |
| 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