Engineering Skills Development Through Mega Construction Projects (MCPs) (original) (raw)
There is a notable engineering skills deficit (ESD) in South Africa. Among other interventions, the proliferation of skills development policies, engineering skills development programmes (ESDPs), and the use of expatriate engineering professionals in Mega Construction Projects (MCPs), have been the main interventions promulgated by the government. This study sought to investigate the effectiveness of expatriate professionals in transferring engineering skills to candidate engineers in South African MCPs. This study is of particular significance to the construction industry in South Africa, and can contribute towards addressing the current ESD. Due to the nature of questions which this study pursued to answer, a case study strategy was adopted. A mixed-method data collection was used in the form of a survey questionnaire, follow-up interviews and secondary document data. Quantitative data involved numeric scores from questionnaires and secondary document data, while qualitative data included transcribed data from follow-up interviews. Findings from both the questionnaire and the interviews indicate a consensus that the dawn of South Africa's skills development policy framework such as the National Skills Development Strategy (NSDS) of 1997 is by no doubt linked to the apartheid legacy. Findings from document secondary data indicate that the throughput of black candidates and professional engineers has been consistently increasing over the period 2009 – 2017. The central conclusion to be drawn from the study is that there is a need to establish an effective institutional and regulatory framework with clear delegation of roles and responsibilities between expatriates, local beneficiaries and the different institutions involved in the provision of ESDPs in South African MCPs.
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