Beyond apprenticeship: construction artisans' continuing professional development (CPD) and lifelong learning

Unlike professionals at the higher end of the manpower needs in construction such as architects, engineers and quantity surveyors, relatively little attention has been given to the post-apprenticeship competence, continuing professional development and lifelong learning of artisans. This study evaluates the outcome of a six-months continuing professional development (CPD) programme for 86 randomly recruited construction artisans in Cape Coast, Ghana, as a case for exploring artisans’ CPD and lifelong learning opportunities. A mixed method action research strategy was used. In the qualitative strand, focus group discussion of 50 stakeholders was used to identify artisans’ competence gaps, and hence, learning needs. These were analysed inductively using Cheetham and Chivers’s (2000) holistic model of professional competence. Using the identified learning needs, occupational standards (OS) were developed and validated for six general areas of competence (GAC) based on which training modules were developed. Quantitative evaluation of the results of a six-months CPD programme shows that all six GACs identified – reading and interpreting drawings; measurement of building works; estimating; site procedures, occupational health and safety; entrepreneurship and ethics, and ICT – are relevant and can contribute significantly to bridging artisans’ post-apprenticeship professional competence gaps contributing insights for construction artisans’ CPD with implications for lifelong learning.