The Effect of Skill Type on Skill-Gap in the Nigerian Construction Industry

Abstract

Skills gap and its effects has become a serious problem requiring urgent attention in the Nigeria construction industry. Basic literatures on construction practice left no doubts that the successful realization of construction projects requires the committed action of professionals and vocational trade operatives. The objective was to identify effects of skills-type on skills-gap related to Building projects in Abuja, Nigeria. Field survey of some building projects sites in Abuja compliment the secondary information on the existence of skill gap. The sample comprises both public and private projects, using both criterion-based and stratified random sampling techniques. 254 questionnaire was administered, 215 were returned, resulting to a response rate of 85%. The result shows that more than 80% of the Nigeria construction professionals are all male with years of experience ranges between 16 and 20 years, with academic qualification ranges from bachelor degree to Doctorate Degree respectively. Number of employees ranges within 10–50 people in most of the construction sites. From the result it shows that stake holders participation on training and development was not encouraging resulting to Poor workmanship, Construction waste, Rework as some of the major effects of skills-gap. The study therefore recommend that policy makers should develop skill acquisition programmed which include public private partnership, developmental training, on the job training. Government should come up with special scheme for the improvement of skills through the vocational and certification program to assist and encourage younger generation to various apprenticeships to reduce occupational segregation, provide the necessary requirement and standard training for both young men and women. The national directorate of employment (NDE), the national skills qualification framework (NSQF), the industrial training fund (ITF) and national board for technical education (NBTE) should ready to face the challenges of the recent skills-gap economy as we enter the third decade of the millennium for sustainability and productivity.