A skilful strategy

By - , Build 133

Launched in March 2012, the Built Environment Skills Strategy has identified four priority to focus on to help increase productivity.

AFTER MORE THAN 2 YEARS of research, interviews, stakeholder meetings and industry summits, the Skills Workstream has developed an implementation plan that will drive work for the next 8 years.

Fitting in with the broader Construction Sector Productivity Partnership, the work was sponsored by the Minister for Building and Construction, the Honourable Maurice Williamson, and sits within the Building and Housing Group of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Strategy focus

The Skills Strategy focuses on skill utilisation, skills development, deployment of skills and ensuring workers have the right skills at the right times. Together, these skill levers will help increase productivity by ensuring work is done more efficiently and safely, reducing staff turnover, increasing morale and reducing rework and fragmentation.

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Defining action areas

The strategy identifies four broad action areas (see below). Issues to be addressed, recommended responses and the organisations that can contribute to each response are identified.

Change management in an industry as broad and disconnected as the construction sector is complex and extremely challenging.

Four priorities have been identified as being most important to focus on first:

  • Getting it right the first time – addressing quality issues and avoiding rework.
  • Eliminating downtime – effectively managing labour so it is better deployed and less time is wasted.
  • Working towards meaningful careers – developing pathways into and through the industry so people have careers rather than jobs.
  • Multi-disciplinary team work – increasing collaboration between firms, different parts of the sector and education providers.

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Working with stakeholders

The next step is to motivate those identified to respond and commit to meeting the identified challenges.

Consultants have met 20 of the industry, government and education organisations critical to implementing the plan to test the validity of the recommended response in two areas of action – short-term skills challenges and culture – and see what projects or initiatives are in action or planned that would support the Skills Strategy.

The good news is that all of the organisations have projects planned or under way that align with the Skills Strategy’s objectives.

Consultants will now widen their work to a larger group of stakeholders and extend it across the other areas of action. The Skills Workstream plans to report back on progress and launch the implementation plan on 30 November at a summit in Wellington.

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For more

Download the Skills Strategy at www.buildingvalue.co.nz.

Download the PDF

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

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