Entering the workforce and on-the-job skills acquisition in the construction sector

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This paper presents a research project focused on the induction of newly hired employees in the construction sector in France, a sector in which employers report difficulties in retaining newly hired employees. The objective was to identify the diversity of new workers' employment status, and to understand what happens after they are hired, with a particular focus on the ways in which skills are acquired and passed on by the various protagonists. PARTICIPANTS: 25 employees, all men, voluntarily took part in this study. They were all employed, in various worksite jobs, under unlimited term contracts. METHODS: Interviews were recorded with each participant. They were analyzed using a thematic analysis method with the aim of reconstituting newcomers' career paths. RESULTS: Although the new employees have four different types of employment status, the way in which they learn the job is both relatively uniform and rudimentary. Skills are acquired in an opportunistic manner, often at the initiative of the newly hired employee, with older employees lacking the resources and the time to pass on their know-how. CONCLUSIONS: These findings raise issues related to workplace safety and organization--the dual focus of the debate on conditions conducive to skills transmission.

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