Needs identification in strengthening the skills of construction workers with the national working competency standards

Abstract

The current paper aims at identifying the needs for strengthening the skills of construction workers involved in a variety of construction jobs in the scale of residential and public buildings. Construction workers in Indonesia are still considered as a low employment which is underappreciated by the community. The skills of the workers are obtained through heredity and self-taught, not through formal or non-formal education and training. This leads to a lack of accessibility of the workers to knowledge and skills required by the National Working Competency Standards (here-inafter referred to as the National Standards). The study used qualitative approach, and data collection techniques were field observation, focus group discussions, and focused interviews. The respondents were 29 construction workers from different expertise in Garut, Indonesia. The needs for strengthening competency were identified at an individual level by analyzing the level of knowledge, skill, and attitude compared to the level required under the National Standards. The results of the study showed a grouping of worker expertise, knowledge and skill level mapping, and the mapping of the needs for strengthening construction workers’ skills.