An evaluation of construction skills in Tanzania

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study related to availability of construction skills in Tanzania. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey and interview were designed to assess the availability of construction skills at management/supervisory and operative levels in Tanzania. At both levels skills were carefully selected for the respondents to rank and open-ended questions were designed to investigate how employers obtain employees and test their competences. Findings – Findings from the study indicate that at both management/supervisory and operative levels some skills are available on special arrangements. Furthermore, 60 per cent of employers neither enquire about the training background nor test the competence of skilled workers before engaging them. Research limitations/implications – This study was mainly affected by low response to e-mailed questionnaires. Practical implications – The findings of this study provide an insight on the skills status in Tanzania and the study also proposes a skills screening process for employers. Originality/value – This paper proposes a screening and grouping of operatives process for use by employers in testing and improving competences of prospective employees and to establish their training background.