The development and assessment of an integrated skills development model for emerging construction contractors

Abstract

Many strategies for emerging contractor development that are based on instru-ments such as targeted procurement have generally failed to empower emerg-ing contractors because they are implemented without well-defined skills trans-fer frameworks. The sector continues to be regarded by construction clients and suppliers as a high commercial risk and this presents further barriers to meaning-ful development. Related to this is the lack of clear policy targets against which to measure the effectiveness of contractor support programmes. Furthermore, the majority of current support initiatives lack an integrated pro-gramme strategy. Interventions tend to be characterised by inadequate preparations, poor needs assessments and an inadequate understanding of the development needs of emerging contractors. This is evident by discontinu-ances, unstructured training approaches, ad-hoc mentorship, inadequate monitoring and evaluation that promote unsustainable skills transfer. The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) has put in place a training and mentoring programme that would result in the development of emerging contractors into sustainable business enterprises. The impact of the programme may be measured to determine the overall effectives of the programme in deliv-ering developed and sustainable contractors to the construction industry. The above mentioned factors identified lead to the following problem that is addressed by the research:
The problem statement addressed by the study is how to develop a holistic approach towards integrated skills development for emerging construction contractors, leading to a model that can be managed with quantitative and measurable outcomes.