Skills required for offsite construction

The construction industry is labour intensive and hence significantly impacted by the skills and capabilities of the workforce. Given the rapid changes in construction processes due to digitalization and globalization, the development of emerging skills is essential to futureproof both professional and vocational personnel who seek employment under smart and modern construction in the 21st century. Correspondingly, the skills needed for offsite construction activities where buildings are produced within factories, will be drastically affected in the future. In such a scenario, skills of the workforce affiliated with a traditional construction style will become obsolete due to the mismatch between the industry needs and the skills availability. Therefore, this research aims to identify the skill categories required for smart and modern construction in an offsite construction platform. An industry engagement workshop activity in the form of a roundtable discussion comprising of both academics and industry participants was carried out for data collection. There were total of six tables with the composition of four industry practitioners and two academics on each table. The academics were responsible for moderating the discussion. The views held by the participants are analysed using thematic content analysis method to compute the skills required for smart and modern construction. Ten themes were produced from the 60 skills identified by the participants. Themes were developed to identify the recurring skills in a single cluster. Findings of the data analysis procedure indicate that knowledge, interpersonal skills and the ability to embrace digital technology are the key skill categories needed for future smart and modern construction. Research reveals the key skills that need to be possessed by both vocational and professional employees in an industrialized construction environment in order to survive in the rapid modernization of the construction industry. The literature synthesis related to offsite and onsite construction skills also enable to rationalize the findings. The significant outcomes of the research are the need to possess digital skills, knowledge on manufacturing industry processes, interpersonal skills and adaptability to technology which allow the construction industry employees to thrive in the definite smart and modern construction platform.