Yusuf, A O; Afolabi, A; Akanmu, A; Murzi, H; Nieto Leal, A; Ball, S and Ofori-Boadu, A (2025) Collaborations between industry and academia for future workforce development: Construction practitioners’ perspective. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 32(5), pp. 3166-3186. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: There is a growing mismatch between the skill demands of the industry and the offerings of academia. One way of reducing this mismatch is by improving collaborations between practitioners and instructors using web-networking platforms. However, it is important to understand practitioners’ considerations while collaborating with instructors. Therefore, this study identified these considerations in order to infer inputs for the design of the graphical user interface (GUI) of a web-based platform for connecting instructors and practitioners. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed method was adopted through a survey and focus group. A survey was used to capture practitioners’ considerations while collaborating with instructors for student development, and a focus group helped uncover an in-depth understanding of the study phenomena. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and thematic analysis. Findings: The results show the willingness of practitioners to collaborate with instructors for student development, the ways by which practitioners are willing to meet instructors' course-support needs and their considerations in deciding to do so. Slight differences were observed between the results of the survey and the focus group regarding the ranking of the practitioners’ considerations. The study highlighted demographic differences in practitioners’ considerations when deciding on meeting instructors' course-support needs. The results provide a basis to deduce the GUI inputs of web-networking platforms for connecting instructors and practitioners. Originality/value: This study revealed practitioners’ design needs and GUI inputs to facilitate the design of web-networking platforms for connecting instructors and practitioners. This study also contributes to user interface design principles, theories on individual differences and practitioners’ involvement in student professional development.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | academia; construction industry; construction practitioner; instructor; skill gap; web-based platform; workforce development collaborations |
| Index terms: | focus group, instructor, design principle, survey, construction practitioner, user interface, networking, workforce development, practitioner, thematic analysis, methodology, collaboration, professional development, platform, mixed method, academia, construction industry, statistics, mismatch |
| Subjects: | human-computer interaction, research methods, digital design, engineering problems, practitioner, educational institutions, industry analysis, management, methods and analysis, professional development, communication, data collection methods, mathematical modelling, design methods |
| Topics: | Education, Engineering Principles, Digital Applications, Design Practice, Organizational Design, Information Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions |
| 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