Wentzel, L; Wentzel, T and Emuze, F A (2014) The construction SMEs development debate in South Africa: Contributions from fet colleges. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 30th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2014, Portsmouth, UK.
Abstract
The why, when, and how to engender contractor development in South Africa has been interrogated in recent years. Various authors have proposed one panacea or the other without considering the possible contributions of Further Education and Training (FET) colleges in the country. The research identifies key factors that influence how FET colleges are able to facilitate the development of successful construction small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa. A survey of the literature was followed by an empirical study, which generated the primary data. A survey was initially conducted among registered construction SMEs, and then interviews were conducted with academics who are employed at FET colleges. The findings indicate that FET colleges serve a multidimensional purpose by producing qualified artisans, who produce quality workmanship in their specific trades and who are capable of establishing successful businesses. Based upon the findings, it can be concluded that FET college structures can provide the foundation for SME development programmes in South Africa. It is therefore recommended that the syllabi for contractor development programmes (CDP) and construction programmes in FET colleges should align with one another in order to develop a specific programme for construction SME development.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | contractor development; education and training; South Africa |
| Index terms: | education and training, workmanship, South Africa, empirical study, survey, programme, contractor development, interview |
| Subjects: | data collection methods, project controls, professional education, contractual condition, Geography, management, research methods |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Education, Time Control, Contract Administration |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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