Maintaining Industry Currency and Upskilling for Low-Carbon Technologies in Small Business Construction Trades: Study of Plumbing Practitioners in Australia
Publication: Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 40, Issue 3
Abstract
Increasing regulatory and market changes that decouple fossil fuels from the built environment will require existing trade practitioners to upskill. However, the structure of the construction sector, which includes short-term contracts, tight deadlines, high reliance on contingent labor, and a large proportion of small-business contractors who are responsible for their own training makes upskilling challenging. Consideration of the industry’s structure and the characteristics of small trade business learning practices is necessary for any upskilling program. Plumbing is a key example of a trade requiring upskilling for a low-carbon economy. The gas fitting component of plumbing work will change dramatically with the phasing out of carbon-producing natural gas and substitution with alternatives such as hydrogen. This study used a survey of 1,001 Australian plumbers, informed by the theory of planned behavior (TPB), to understand the learning contexts and needs of plumbers in upskilling and ascertain attitudinal, social, and structural enablers for training behavior. The results show that attitudes to training, including the perceived benefits of training for skills development and end-user safety, are the key motivator for plumbers’ training behavior, whereas social norms and behavioral controls such as time and cost are somewhat influential. The findings provide insight into training behavior enablers that can be leveraged to support the roll-out of upskilling for low-carbon technologies and ongoing trades training programs more broadly.
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Data availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code generated or used during the study are proprietary or confidential in nature and may only be provided with restrictions.
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Journal of Management in Engineering
Volume 40 • Issue 3 • May 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Feb 22, 2023
Accepted: Oct 31, 2023
Published online: Jan 27, 2024
Published in print: May 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Jun 27, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Architectural engineering
- Building systems
- Business management
- Business organizations
- Contracts and subcontracts
- Education
- Energy engineering
- Energy sources (by type)
- Non-renewable energy
- Organizations
- Plumbing
- Practice and Profession
- Small business
- Structural behavior
- Structural engineering
- Sustainable development
- Training
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