A training guide for the reinforcement of continuous professional development of engineers and project managers on performance and productivity improvement practices in construction

Abstract

To transform the industry practices for addressing the evolving challenges/opportunities in the near-future circumstances, the construction education/training sector of many developing countries feels the requirement for new features in the job roles of construction engineers and project managers. This study aims to design a new training guide for the continuous professional development of engineers and project managers on performance and productivity improvement practices in construction. Based on identified efficacious tools/models/systems through literature review, an exhaustive functional mechanism was laid, which was the key to developing the training elements through a sequence of processes, including interviews/meetings/discussions/reviews with industry and academic experts. The developed training guide describes all the required elements of training, especially training aims/outcomes/contents/delivery/assessments/weights/etc. The validation of the proposed training guide was ensured through expert reviews and feedback. The study has constructed a new bridge that connects industrial and institutional practices for the implementation of constructive approaches and operative systems/practices towards the economic recovery, social development and sustainability of a nation. Though the study findings are limited to the construction field in a developing country like Sri Lanka, the study outcomes may contribute to other engineering fields as well as to other developing industry sectors within a similar scope.

Keywords:

• Construction industry
• curriculum development
• continuous professional development
• new job attributes
• performance enhancement
• productivity benchmarking
• sustainable built environment

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the construction professionals who actively participated in the interviews, reviews and discussion sessions in this study. In addition, the University of Peradeniya and the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka are also acknowledged for providing valuable support in the resource arrangements of this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.