A Learning ‘Learning’ Model for Optimised Construction Workforce Development

Integrating learning and work has become important for several reasons. The recognition that the key resources for wealth creation, knowledge and ideas are embedded in human capital. Furthermore, fast-paced advances in knowledge, technology, and access to information ensure that capabilities rapidly become obsolete. Continuous learning and workplace learning have therefore become essential. These developments have highlighted the pivotal role of learning in individual career development and organisational performance and the construction industry needs to address these issues. The construction industry, however, continues to report skill gaps suggesting that construction businesses need to consider creative ways to deliver skill-enhancing opportunities for their workforce. The challenge is global but has added significance for African emerging economies considering their developmental needs. Integrating workforce learning and development key practices into construction business was therefore the crux of this research which was aimed at developing a conceptual learning model that will enable construction firms to optimise performance in line with their business goals. Given the complexity of the construction domain and the need to allow integration of diverse processes, perceptions, experiences, practices and interactions, a pragmatic philosophical lens was employed allowing for a mixed methods research approach. A social constructionist ontology and a largely interpretivist stance was adopted. Surveys and case studies were conducted employing questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions for data collection. Data analysis methods used were relative importance, correlational and constant comparative analyses. The research investigated the two main elements of learning systems the learner and the learning environment. The learner aspect found that emotional and social attributes were significantly associated with the performance of intermediate construction skills while key workforce practices emerged from the learning environment studies. These findings were integrated to develop the construction learning and development optimising model (CLEARDO). The research was limited to Nigeria because of its current focal position in the African economy

Holistic Learning: A workforce development paradigm

The development of workforce knowledge, skills and attitudes are widely acknowledged in extant literature as being pivotal levers to deliver process improvement and efficiency. The success of an organisation depends as much on its technical system as on the social system that supports it. Strategies for improving organisational performance need to incorporate arrangements for developing the workforce competences required to implement strategy. Lean construction by definition involves continuous small-step improvements (Kaizen), problem solving and employee involvement at all levels. The argument for providing workplace systems that support life-long learning within construction businesses therefore takes on greater significance. This paper reports on the pilot for a wider research aimed at firmly linking construction businesses to the learning domain. The pilot involved a survey of domain experts (276) which sought to characterise the Nigerian construction industry in terms of its knowledge and learning requirements, the supply systems for construction skills, the individual attributes required for optimal performance, and the appropriate pedagogical approaches for learning construction skills. Findings to date suggest that the Nigerian construction industry exhibits many characteristics of Taylor-Fordist systems but with tendencies towards knowledge-based systems suggesting the need for improved systems of learning. The training systems of construction firms were found to supply a small percentage of skilled workers to the industry pool, but the few were perceived to be the most competent. Construction skilled workers were perceived to require not only cognitive but also emotional and social competencies for optimal performance. This paper posits that the construction industry needs to align its skill provision systems with modern learning theory to create effective learners and learning environments within organisations to drive the learning needed for performance and innovation. The paper proposes the development of a conceptual model which captures the key elements of an effective skills learning solution for construction

Construction learning and education: exploring synergies through holistic reflection

Construction skills development programmes traditionally focus on the development of technical skills and knowledge to varying degrees and proportions. These approaches usually involve the cognitive dimensions of human learning to maximise effectiveness. However, modern learning theory postulates that individual learning is a holistic process of adaptation to views and contexts, where competence is made up of more than mere knowledge and skills per se. For example, an individual‟s mental energy, feelings and motivations should be conducive for learning and performance. Additionally, individuals need abilities for interacting with people, materials and the society in order to adequately learn from and contribute to their context/environment. These dynamics include such issues as 'emotional intelligence‟, 'organisational learning' and 'pedagogy'. This research presents empirically determined cognitive, emotional and social skill sets required for effective learning and optimal performance. This extends the understanding of success factors for effective learning and optimal performance within the construction environment