• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• autumn
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• pp.73-81
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• 2003

The construction industry has been experiencing a major challenge in its work force, 'the shortage of skilled craft workers.' This problem has been caused by several factors such as the poor image of the construction industry, lack of training and education, unclear career path, declining wages, and changing work force demographics. A 'step-change' approach called the 'Two-Tier Work Force Strategy' has been proposed by the Center for Construction Industry Studies (CCIS) to deal with the work force related issues in a radical way. It is composed of two separate strategies, Tier I and II. The Tier I strategy uses less skilled and task trained craft workers, and has a larger administrative site management team than the Tier II strategy. The Tier II strategy utilizes fewer, better-educated, and higher skilled workers who perform some lower-management functions in addition to craft functions. They are paid more, but produce more through higher skills, stay on the job longer through multi-skilling, and deliver improved project performance in safety, quality, schedule, and cost The Two-Tier Work Force Strategy has the potential to resolve the current work force problems and foster a better work force environment in the future.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.91-106
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• 2001

Local government takes an active role in the (re)making of local socio-economic space. To support such an argument, the three different actions by the local government of Taegu, urban planning and local industrial districts, the establishment of special educational institutions, and textile festival are analyzed. The division of the city's space into residential, commercial, and industrial area by local government constrained the location of local manufacturing industries. It also forced textile industry to move to the outskirts of Taegu. As the education level in South Korea rose after the late 1970s, the local government of Taegu as well as local industrial capitalists had to do something to acquire a stable supply of labor to local manufacturing industries, particularly textile one. After the late 1970s, the special classes for the education of local workers, especially textile ones were established within vocational high school and company-operated high schools were also built in Taegu. Finally, local government started a program of textile festival in 1985. Through textile festival, local government as well as local textile business people tried to reproduce textile industry as the main economic activity of Taegu.