Recommendations for the Indian Construction Industry

India lacks professionals with such developed skills and a sole representative organization of the construction industry. Currently the industrial organization and the institutional organization run parallel without any relation. The institutional organization acts as a supplier on the demand of the industrial organization but there is no organization to bridge the gap between the two. As a result the quality of professionals and the quality of education has not improved as there has been no input from the industrial organization to the educational organizations. It is very vital for the industry to have an organization which represents the built environment of India including institutions and professional bodies so that they can work together for the benefit of the industry and the gap between the two organizations could be narrowed. Questions have been raised in the past and have been on the rise on the quality of teaching and the falling standard of education in the institutions. The need to review the policies must be examined thoroughly so that the Indian construction industry can grow (Argyris and Schon, 1996).

From the data analyzed and Henry Ford’s academy model it can be seen that individuals do learn more from seeing and doing the activities (Ford, 1926). In the construction industry it is necessary to know how things are being done so that theory and practice could be related to each other. It is necessary that the institutional organization realize that the learning style of all individuals is not the same (explained in section 2.2.2); having a mix of workshops, guest lectures, conferences and introducing interactive tools for learning would not only enhance the teaching standards but also incorporate learning styles of all individuals as described by Kolb (1984).

India being a country comprising of 29 states and 7 union territories has different political parties having an influence in different states. This results in the functioning of many organizations within all sectors. The role of the central government must be to establish some organizations on a national level so that it is accepted across India. Currently the CIDC which is the representative of industrial organization is established by the political parties of only 16 states, it has not yet been accepted nationally. However the institutional heads i.e. the AICTE is the head of technical education across all states and is responsible for educating individuals and approving the course all across India. This results in the organization representing India as a whole from an institutional front but not from an industrial front. The government must create an organization for the industry which needs to be nationally accepted so that the industry and institutional organizations can work together for the benefit of the whole sector.

The individual organizations responsible for the teaching of technical education within the AICTE (ex. COA) must be given the independence to interact with the industry and review the teaching techniques. Because of the rapid growth the industry is undergoing the implementation of modern technology has been on the rise. A review of teaching standards must be done every few years so that the students are taught with respect to the updated technology being implemented in the industry. They are prepared for the profession and the role which they would be a part of. Exposing them to the way the industry functions and increasing the tenure of training for individuals must also be reviewed. The sub organizations must also take responsibility of professionals who they give out licenses to practice and introduce CPD training for them as well so that they continue to grow and evolve within the system. The system and the professionals in the industry would grow together and this would lead to a learning environment and a learning construction industry.

Currently there are various research organizations for the construction industry in India which hold workshops for professionals as well as students. These organizations however work independently and have no coordination among each other. Some organizations do collaborate with a few institutes but all institutions may not be involved in such workshops. This results in a non uniform growth of students as institutions which are financially stable may afford such workshops but others may lack such resources to carry out these activities. The industry must come together and set up a head of research organizations which is responsible for such activities for better coordination and collaboration. This will result in these events being conducted across various venues at various times giving individuals more opportunity to participate. There will result in a uniform growth across the country.

The government must focus on building a team for the construction industry in order to evolve the system as a whole. It is necessary that they have a shared vision with that of the industry so that the output is beneficial for a sector which is very important to India. The team must involve of individuals from all sectors which act as a leader and represents all organizations. The role of this team would be the same as the CIC in the UK construction industry. This would then accomplish the characteristics which a learning organization needs (as discussed in section 2.2).

The dissertation takes into consideration the functioning of the UK construction industry and discusses the success of such a system. If the institution and industry work together then it will not only benefit individuals but also society. The construction sector is one of the major sectors which impact all individuals irrespective of them being a part or not. The construction sector effects the environment as well as the people living in it and hence the importance of it cannot be ignored. Benefit to the construction industry will not only have an impact in the society and the system but would also have economic benefits, but for that to happen it is necessary that all sectors of the construction industry work together as a single organization.

The above set of recommendations would help the construction industry grow and evolve over a period of time. These set of recommendations have been put forward after reviewing the literature and having understood the scenario by interviewing professionals within the industry. These recommendations may not be the only solution for the benefit of the industry but is aimed at focusing on the need to build a relationship between the industry and the institutes. The development of professionals after institutional education has an impact post education as well and this dissertation focuses on the overall benefit of the industry by the introduction of learning post education.

Advantages of the UK Construction Industry Model

There are various factors which contribute to the success of the UK construction industry and collaborative team culture is the most important factor out of all. The collaborative nature of the industry results in better coordination between organizations (Mohr and Spekman, 1994), they have been very effective as they all work together for the benefit of the industry. This results in a long-term commitment and the work becomes productive with lesser conflicts arising between organizations (Chen and Chen, 2007). As the industry works together it grows together and all arms of the organization benefit with this approach (Bresnen and Marshall, 2000). All organizations work together within their sectors without interference because of the strong leadership at the top.

The presence of an organization which represents all organizations has worked wonders for the UK construction industry. It keeps the construction industry under one roof and helps all sectors within the industry develop together. The role of each organization is well defined and they are aware of their aims. UK construction Industry has become a model for a lot of developing nations. Its advancement in technology and the skills of professionals is regarded the best in the world (Eadie et al., 2013). Due to their integrated structure and relationship between their organizations the construction industry has continued to develop and evolve since the time these organizations were established. Continuous development of professionals within the field has also been one of the strong reasons why it has been succeeding all these years (Mansfield, 1988).

The role of the institutional organizations does not stop once an individual is graduated. An organization comprises of people and the role of these organizations is to continuously evolve individuals to professionals and further in their field of interest for their continuous development. This makes the professionals highly competitive on the global scale and helps them make their industry more efficient and modern (RIBA, 2014). The CPD programs run by the organizations are balanced well for working professionals and help companies also interact with each other through conferences and discussions.

The presence of research organizations keeps the industry and institutional organizations connected. The organization experiments new technology and implements with the help of the industrial organization. If successful, it makes the institutional organization aware of the new technologies evolved and institutions with the help of these organizations make try to incorporate the same within the core modules. This process makes the students prepare to the real world scenario and are not doing the same outdated courses which their seniors did, their learning evolves with time and technology.

An organization can develop only through individual learning and creating a learning environment helps the industry in all aspects (Halio, 1990). Once individuals start to evolve the whole organization does and so does the industry. It is this process that makes UK continuously successful and competitive. The construction sector of UK has been the best performing sector globally and many UK based companies have started working globally as well. Many nations study the UK construction industry and try to adapt the same within their country. Using the UK construction industry model within India would prove beneficial but there are multiple factors which influence the industry which is discussed in the next chapter.

Architecture Education in UK

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is responsible for architecture education in the United Kingdom. To attain a title of an architect in UK an individual must clear all 3 parts proposed by RIBA to become eligible for registration (RIBA, 2014). Part 1 of the RIBA constitutes a three year full time program which would award a student an honour’s in BA. Part 2 constitutes of a 2 year full time program and a student on successful completion would be awarded an M.ARCH2 degree. Following the first two parts of successful completion an individual is suppose to work for a period of two years to gain practical experience and attend an examination which is Part 3 of RIBA.

On successful completion of all 3 parts an individual can register along with the Architects Registration Board (ARB) and on successful registration can use the title of a charter architect. The ARB is responsible for registering architects and set the guidelines for the code of conduct of an architect practicing in UK (ARB, 2014).

Over the past year the proposal for changes in the structure by RIBA has undergone a lot of criticism (Hopkirk, 2013). RIBA has been following the same structure for more than five decades, but what makes the field of architecture so successful is the work carried out by RIBA for institutes as well as professionals once they have graduated. Since the role of an architect is of high calibre RIBA makes sure that only capable professionals are awarded with the title. It takes a minimum of seven years for an individual to be awarded with the title. Two years of training and five years of education makes an individual capable of handling responsibility. Even during the five years of learning i.e. part 1 and part 2 the students undergo practical modules that make them aware of the way the things are carried out in the real world. Regular lecture series are conducted by RIBA to encourage discussion and diversity of opinion.

The RIBA is responsible for the guidelines set for architecture education. The universities in the UK follow these guidelines in order to be able to carry out the course. To excel the professionals in the field of architecture, RIBA holds various workshops for their continuous professional development (RIBA, 2014). Individuals can continuously develop the skills they desire through RIBA’s CPD program along with their work. These workshops not only keep professionals competitive in the industry but also help them in enhancing their skills along with an exposure to new streams that they may be unaware.

Apart from all these activities RIBA is also responsible for registration of firms that provide architectural services. They set the guidelines for the fees and terms of contracts of an architect and hence a profession carrying out a business of providing architectural services must follow the guidelines set by RIBA. RIBA is the sole organization responsible for promoting architecture in the construction industry as well as institutions (RIBA, 2014). They promote various events in collaboration with the practicing firms for students and other professionals. They are also responsible for quality education and monitor all institutes providing any services in the field related to architecture.

RIBA is aware that the role of an architect is of great importance and hence the emphasis on clearing part 3 of the RIBA scope is a necessity. Even today when there is a need for more professionals in the construction industry it continues to follow the five decade old model as it has been proved successful. This process of RIBA (2014) ensures that only thorough professionals are awarded with the credential architect and a fresh graduate with no experience is not capable of handling a position at the apex of the hierarchy. They do believe that practical experience is as important as the theory/design drills that students undergo.