Kappia, J G; Dainty, A R J and Price, A D F (2006) Using qualitative methods to explore career development for construction operatives. In: Boyd, D (ed.) Proceedings of 22nd Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2006, Birmingham, UK.
Abstract
Trade and craft employees are an instrumental part of the project delivery process. Recruiting and retaining an adequate share of the UK workforce is vital to meeting the construction industry's demands and sustaining its current growth. This requires attracting new employees and adopting a proactive approach to Human Resource Development (HRD). Career development programmes are capable of aligning the industry's needs with the career expectations of individual employees. However little is understood about the careers and career development of these key employees. Previous research into trade and craft populations have used quantitative methods to document labour market process and behaviour patterns, rather than using qualitative methods to explain factors which shape and influence careers. The conceptual understanding of careers and career development should be enhanced using qualitative methods to direct research as this would serve to uncover any unique factors associated with trade and craft populations and influence suitable strategies in response to them. This paper presents a rationale for the application of qualitative methods and the implications of this approach to future research.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | careers; career development; qualitative methods; trade and craft operatives |
| Index terms: | career, human resource, population, quantitative method, labour market, construction industry, construction operative, project delivery, operative, strategy, qualitative method, programme |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, project controls, demography, professional development, management, economics, data analysis and analytics, project delivery, practitioner, research design and methodology |
| Topics: | Time Control, Human Resources, Supply Chain Management, Urban Studies, Procurement, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Information Management, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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