Reforming HEI to improve skills and knowledge on disaster resilience among construction professionals

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The Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of
the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Held at Dauphine Université, Paris, 2-3 September 2010
ISBN 978-1-84219-619-9
© RICS
12 Great George Street
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September 2010
The RICS COBRA Conference is held annually. The aim of COBRA is to provide a platform
for the dissemination of original research and new developments within the specific
disciplines, sub-disciplines or field of study of:
Management of the construction process
• Cost and value management
• Building technology
• Legal aspects of construction and procurement
• Public private partnerships
• Health and safety
• Procurement
• Risk management
• Project management
The built asset
• Property investment theory and practice
• Indirect property investment
• Property market forecasting
• Property pricing and appraisal
• Law of property, housing and land use planning
• Urban development
• Planning and property markets
• Financial analysis of the property market and property assets
• The dynamics of residential property markets
• Global comparative analysis of property markets
• Building occupation
• Sustainability and real estate
• Sustainability and environmental law
• Building performance

The property industry
• Information technology
• Innovation in education and training
• Human and organisational aspects of the industry
• Alternative dispute resolution and conflict management
• Professional education and training
Peer review process
All papers submitted to COBRA were subjected to a double-blind (peer review) refereeing
process. Referees were drawn from an expert panel, representing respected academics from
the construction and building research community. The conference organisers wish to extend
their appreciation to the following members of the panel for their work, which is invaluable to
the success of COBRA.
Rifat Akbiyikli Sakarya University, Turkey
Rafid Al Khaddar Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Ahmed Al Shamma’a Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Tony Auchterlounie University of Bolton, UK
Kwasi Gyau Baffour Awuah University of Wolverhampton, UK
Kabir Bala Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria
Juerg Bernet Danube University Krems, Austria
John Boon UNITEC, New Zealand
Douw Boshoff University of Pretoria, South Africa
Richard Burt Auburn University, USA
Judith Callanan RMIT University, Australia
Kate Carter Heriot-Watt University, UK
Keith Cattell University of Cape Town, South Africa
Antoinette Charles Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Fiona Cheung Queensland University of Technology, Australia
Sai On Cheung City University of Hong Kong
Samuel Chikafalimani University of Pretoria, South Africa
Ifte Choudhury Texas A and M University, USA
Chris Cloete University of Pretoria, South Africa
Alan Coday Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Michael Coffey Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Nigel Craig Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Ayirebi Dansoh KNUST, Ghana
Peter Davis Curtin University, Australia
Peter Defoe Calford Seaden, UK
Grace Ding University of Technology Sydney, Australia
Hemanta Doloi University of Melbourne, Australia
John Dye TPS Consult, UK
Peter Edwards RMIT, Australia
Charles Egbu University of Salford, UK
Ola Fagbenle Covenant University, Nigeria
Ben Farrow Auburn University, USA
Peter Fenn University of Manchester, UK
Peter Fewings University of the West of England, UK

Peter Fisher University of Northumbria, UK
Chris Fortune University of Salford, UK
Valerie Francis University of Melbourne, Australia
Rod Gameson University of Wolverhampton, UK
Abdulkadir Ganah University of Central Lancashire, UK
Seung Hon Han Yonsei University, South Korea
Anthony Hatfield University of Wolverhampton, UK
Theo Haupt Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa
Dries Hauptfleisch University of the Free State, South Africa
Paul Holley Auburn University, USA
Danie Hoffman University of Pretoria, South Africa
Keith Hogg University of Northumbria, UK
Alan Hore Construction IT Alliance, Ireland
Bon-Gang Hwang National University of Singapore
Joseph Igwe University of Lagos, Nigeria
Adi Irfan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
Javier Irizarry Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Usman Isah University of Manchester, UK
David Jenkins University of Glamorgan, UK
Godfaurd John University of Central Lancashire, UK
Keith Jones University of Greenwich, UK
Dean Kashiwagi Arizona State University, USA
Nthatisi Khatleli University of Cape Town, South Africa
Mohammed Kishk Robert Gordon’s University, UK
Andrew Knight Nottingham Trent University, UK
Scott Kramer Auburn University, USA
Esra Kurul Oxford Brookes University, UK
Richard Laing Robert Gordon’s University, UK
Terence Lam Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Veerasak Likhitruangsilp Chulalongkorn University, Thailand
John Littlewood University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, UK
Junshan Liu Auburn University, USA
Champika Liyanage University of Central Lancashire, UK
Greg Lloyd University of Ulster, UK
S M Lo City University of Hong Kong
Mok Ken Loong Yonsei University, South Korea
Martin Loosemore University of New South Wales, Australia
David Manase Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Donny Mangitung Universitas Tadulako, Malaysia
Patrick Manu University of Wolverhampton, UK
Tinus Maritz University of Pretoria, South Africa
Hendrik Marx University of the Free State. South Africa
Ludwig Martin Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa
Wilfred Matipa Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Steven McCabe Birmingham City University, UK
Annie McCartney University of Glamorgan, UK
Andrew McCoy Virginia Tech, USA
Enda McKenna Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Kathy Michell University of Cape Town, South Africa
Roy Morledge Nottingham Trent University, UK

Michael Murray University of Strathclyde, UK
Saka Najimu Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Stanley Njuangang University of Central Lancashire, UK
Henry Odeyinka University of Ulster, UK
Ayodejo Ojo Ministry of National Development, Seychelles
Michael Oladokun University of Uyo, Nigeria
Alfred Olatunji Newcastle University, Australia
Austin Otegbulu
Beliz Ozorhon Bogazici University, Turkey
Obinna Ozumba University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
Robert Pearl University of KwaZulu, Natal, South Africa
Srinath Perera Northumbria University, UK
Joanna Poon Nottingham Trent University, UK
Keith Potts University of Wolverhampton, UK
Elena de la Poza Plaza Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain
Matthijs Prins Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Hendrik Prinsloo University of Pretoria, South Africa
Richard Reed Deakin University, Australia
Zhaomin Ren University of Glamorgan, UK
Herbert Robinson London South Bank University, UK
Kathryn Robson RMIT, Australia
Simon Robson University of Northumbria, UK
David Root University of Cape Town, South Africa
Kathy Roper Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Steve Rowlinson University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Paul Royston Nottingham Trent University, UK
Paul Ryall University of Glamorgan, UK
Amrit Sagoo Coventry University, UK
Alfredo Serpell Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Winston Shakantu Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa
Yvonne Simpson University of Greenwich, UK
John Smallwood Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa
Heather Smeaton-Webb MUJV Ltd. UK
Bruce Smith Auburn University, USA
Melanie Smith Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
Hedley Smyth University College London, UK
John Spillane Queen’s University Belfast, UK
Suresh Subashini University of Wolverhampton, UK
Kenneth Sullivan Arizona State University, USA
Joe Tah Oxford Brookes University, UK
Derek Thomson Heriot-Watt University, UK
Matthew Tucker Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Chika Udeaja Northumbria University, UK
Basie Verster University of the Free State, South Africa
Francois Viruly University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
John Wall Waterford Institute of Technology, Ireland
Sara Wilkinson Deakin University, Australia
Trefor Williams University of Glamorgan, UK

Bimbo Windapo University of Cape Town, South Africa
Francis Wong Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Ing Liang Wong Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Andrew Wright De Montfort University, UK
Peter Wyatt University of Reading, UK
Junli Yang University of Westminster, UK
Wan Zahari Wan Yusoff Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, Malaysia
George Zillante University of South Australia
Benita Zulch University of the Free State, South Africa
Sam Zulu Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
In addition to this, the following specialist panel of peer-review experts assessed
papers for the COBRA session arranged by CIB W113
John Adriaanse London South Bank University, UK
Julie Adshead University of Salford, UK
Alison Ahearn Imperial College London, UK
Rachelle Alterman Technion, Israel
Deniz Artan Ilter Istanbul Technical University, Turkey
Jane Ball University of Sheffield, UK
Luke Bennett Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Michael Brand University of New South Wales, Australia
Penny Brooker University of Wolverhampton, UK
Alice Christudason National University of Singapore
Paul Chynoweth University of Salford, UK
Sai On Cheung City University of Hong Kong
Julie Cross University of Salford, UK
Melissa Daigneault Texas A&M University, USA
Steve Donohoe University of Plymouth, UK
Ari Ekroos University of Helsinki, Finland
Tilak Ginige Bournemouth University, UK
Martin Green Leeds Metropolitan University, UK
David Greenwood Northumbria University, UK
Asanga Gunawansa National University of Singapore
Jan-Bertram Hillig University of Reading, UK
Rob Home Anglia Ruskin University, UK
Peter Kennedy Glasgow Caledonian University, UK
Anthony Lavers Keating Chambers, UK
Wayne Lord Loughborough University, UK
Sarah Lupton Cardiff University
Tim McLernon University of Ulster, UK
Frits Meijer TU Delft, The Netherlands
Jim Mason University of the West of England, UK
Brodie McAdam University of Salford, UK
Tinus Maritz University of Pretoria, South Africa

Francis Moor University of Salford, UK
Issaka Ndekugri University of Wolverhampton, UK
John Pointing Kingston University, UK
Razani Abdul Rahim Universiti Technologi, Malaysia
Linda Thomas-Mobley Georgia Tech, USA
Paul Tracey University of Salford, UK
Yvonne Scannell Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Cathy Sherry University of New South Wales, Australia
Julian Sidoli del Ceno Birmingham City University, UK
Keren Tweeddale London South Bank University, UK
Henk Visscher TU Delft, The Netherlands
Peter Ward University of Newcastle, Australia

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Reforming HEI to improve skills and knowledge on disaster
resilience among construction professionals
Menaha Thayaparan
University of Salford, UK
Email address: m.thayaparan@salford.ac.uk
Mohan Siriwardena
University of Salford, UK
Email address: m.l.siriwardena@salford.ac.uk
Chamindi Malalgoda
University of Salford, UK
Email address: c.i.malalgoda@pgr.salford.ac.uk
Dilanthi Amaratunga
University of Salford, UK
Email address: r.d.g.amaratunga@salford.ac.uk
Arturas Kaklauskas
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania
Email address: arturas.kaklauskas@st.vgtu.lt
Irene Lill
Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia
Email address: irene.lill@ttu.ee
Abstract
The built environment is significantly affected by disasters. Firstly, built facilities are expected to
withstand such situations. Secondly, the construction industry is expected to play a pivotal role in
reconstruction of damaged property & infrastructure. Such responses also call for technological and
managerial innovation. Therefore it is important that construction professionals receive continuous
skill development to respond to disaster situations and to a disaster resilient built environment.
BELLCURVE research project aims to promote the concept of ‘lifelong university’ in modernising
To cite this article: M. Thayaparan, M. Siriwardena, C. Malalgoda, D. Amaratunga, A. Kaklauskas, I. Lill. Reforming
HEI to improve skills and knowledge on disaster resilience among construction professionals, The Proceedings of the
Construction, Building and Real Estate Research Conference of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (COBRA),
2-3 September 2010, Dauphine Université, Paris.

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Higher Education Institutes (HEI) to be more responsive to labour market skills needs. BELLCURVE
focuses on the role HEIs play in continuous improvement of the skills and knowledge on disaster
resilience among the construction professionals. In this paper an overview of the role of built
environment professionals in the context of disaster is presented, and the related demand and supply
side issues are discussed. The need to improve responsiveness of HEIs through modernisation of
higher education to improve the quality and efficiency of education and training is further explained.
Initial conceptual framework of the research is presented. Literature reviewed identified peculiarities
of post-disaster reconstruction, justifying the need to provide sector and context specific skills and
knowledge to the construction professional. The review also cover issues associated with education
and training from HEIs to the construction professional, and also focus on integrating the construction
labour market skills needs to the modernisation agenda of the HEIs. In this regard, modernisation of
HEI through governance reform is highlighted. Disaster resilience is considered as a test case. The
initial conceptual model with the methodology adopted to develop, refine and test the model is also
briefed. This paper is expected to stimulate debate as well as be a supportive resource to towards
improving skills and knowledge on disaster resilience among construction professionals.
Keywords: Construction professionals, Disaster resilience, Higher Education, Reform, Skills &
knowledge.
1. Introduction
The rapid human population growth and its increased settlement concentration in often hazardous
environments (such as flood plains, earth quake zones etc), has escalated the frequency and severity of
disasters. Disasters are significantly related with human induced development, leading to
vulnerabilities to natural and manmade hazards. Disasters lead to human, financial and environmental
losses.
EU labour force survey 2008 reported that the mismatch between graduate skills and labour market
requirements has been identified as one of the main factors behind graduate unemployment and
employer dissatisfaction, particularly in the Built Environment (BE) sector. Some advances have been
made in recent years to incorporate the roles of construction professionals into topics such as climate
change and sustainability. However, the integration of construction professions with processes
associated with Disaster Risk Management (DRM) has largely been ignored (Spence and Kelman
2004). Therefore, it is imperative that HEIs focus on providing continuous support to the construction
professionals to build their skills and knowledge thereby be more responsive to specific contexts such
as disaster response, recovery and reconstruction / reinstatement.

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This paper is based on the EU funded project titled Built Environment Lifelong Learning Challenging
University Responses to Vocational Education (BELLCURVE). BELLCURVE aims to modernise the
HEIs in order for them to be more responsive to the labour market skills needs. In doing so, the focus
of this paper is on the role HEIs play in continuous improvement of the skills and knowledge on
disaster resilience among the construction professionals.
Section 2 provides an introduction to the research project BELLCURVE. The construction labour
market skills and its changing nature are discussed in Section 3. Section 4 analyses the role of built
environment professional in the context of disaster, specifically focusing on demand and supply side
issues. Responsiveness of Higher education through governance reform is then discussed followed by
the conceptual framework. Finally the conclusion and the way forward of the project are provided.
2. Built Environment Lifelong Learning Challenging University Responses to
Vocational Education (BELLCUREVE)
BELLCURVE (Built Environment Lifelong Learning Challenging University Responses to
Vocational Education) is an EC (European Commission) funded research project currently being
conducted at the Centre for Disaster Resilience, School of the Built Environment, University of
Salford, UK, in collaboration with Department of Construction Economics and Property Management,
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Lithuania and Department of Building Production, Tallinn
University of Technology, Estonia. This project address issues associated with the mismatch between
graduate skills and labour market requirements as this mismatch has been identified as one of the main
factors behind graduate unemployment and employer dissatisfaction, particularly in the Built
Environment (BE) sector. Universities in the main tend to offer the same courses to the same group of
academically best-qualified young students and fail to open up to other types of learning and learners,
e.g. retraining courses for graduates or gap courses for students not coming through the traditional
routes. This has slowed down innovation in curricula and teaching methods and hindered the provision
of training/retraining opportunities to increase skills and competency levels in the workforce. Thus
universities should be able offer innovative curricula, teaching methods and training/retraining
programmes which include broader employment-related skills along with the more discipline specific
skills. This requires a much clearer commitment by universities to lifelong learning opportunities.
Lifelong learning presents a challenge, in that it will require universities to be more open to providing
courses for students at later stages in the life cycle.
In addressing this, BELLCURVE considers ‘student engagement’ as a continuous through-life process
rather than a temporary traditional engagement limited by the course duration. This through-life

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studentship defines the essence of the new innovative “Lifelong University” concept, whereby
providing an opportunity for learners to acquire and develop skills and knowledge enabling responds
to changing construction labour market needs on a continuous basis. Thereby, universities will
increasingly become significant players in the economy, able to respond better and faster to the
demands of the labour market through providing opportunities to different types of learning and
learners. Universities will not become innovative and responsive to change unless they are given real
autonomy and accountability. This requires a reform in governance systems based on strategic
priorities to respond labour market needs effectively while promoting lifelong learning agenda.
BELLCURVE aims to promote the concept of ‘lifelong university’ in modernising Higher Education
Institutes (HEI) to be more responsive to labour market skills needs. ‘Lifelong university’ encourages
graduates who are either employed or unemployed to inform their university on labour market skill
requirements. This will provide the opportunity for HEIs to be appropriately responsive to provide the
required mix of skills for the labour market through training / retraining programmes.
The project focuses on governance reforms in HEIs delivering Built Environment programmes across
the EU, emphasising the ERASMUS programme’s objective “to contribute to the development of
quality lifelong learning and to promote high performance, innovation and a European dimension in
systems and practices in the field”. To achieve this objective, the existing interactions between the
HEIs and the labour market are to be investigated and any improvements that could possibly be
imposed on the nature of such interactions needs to be analysed. This demands the concept of lifelong
university to be structured into a framework, identifying the possible components which will either
directly or indirectly have an impact on the way the lifelong university has to function. In this context
the objectives of this project are formulated as, to develop a framework for HEI’s to promote the
concept of lifelong university in capturing and responding to labour market skill needs in the Built
Environment; to refine, test and validate the developed framework through existing HEI Built
Environment programmes; to provide recommendations on governance reforms for HEIs to become
‘continuing education centres’ for graduates while responding to labour market skill needs.
3. Construction labour market skills
3.1 Employability skills
In the global market, modern organisations face high levels of competition. In the wake of
increasingly competitive world market the future survival of most companies, depends mostly on the
dedication of their personnel to companies. Employee or personnel performances such as capability,

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knowledge, skill, and other abilities play an important role in the success of an organisation (Güngör et
al. 2009). Selection of qualified human resources, therefore, is a key success factor for an organisation.
Due to the competitive nature of the labour market, the individuals are expected to increase their level
of employability in order to get selected. The term ‘Employability’ has been defined in various ways.
A review of the literature suggests that employability is about work and the ability to be employed
(Hillage & Pollard, 1998). This includes the ability to gain initial employment; the ability to maintain
employment and made ‘transitions’ between jobs and roles within the same organisation to meet new
job requirements; and the ability to obtain new employment if required. According to Centre for
Employability, University of Central Lancashire, it has been defined as “A set of skills, knowledge
and personal attributes that make an individual more likely to secure and be successful in their chosen
occupation(s) to the benefit of themselves, the workforce, the community and the economy” (Dacre
Pool and Sewell, 2007).
Employability skills are those basic skills and capabilities required for getting, keeping and doing well
on a job (Robinson, 2000). UK commission for Employment and Skills (UKCES, 2008) has identified
the employability skills under two categories as ‘Personal skills’ and ‘Function skills’. The personal
skills consist of self-management; thinking and solving problems; working together and
communicating; and understanding the business, whereas the functional skills consist of using
effectively the numbers, IT and language. Curtis & McKenzie (2002) have identified communication;
problem solving; personal skills; numeracy; information technology and competence in a modern
(foreign) language as core skills required for an employee in the United Kingdom. The employers,
when recruiting graduates, mainly look for a good degree; specific skills; generic or transferable skills;
experience; and personal attribute (Gilleard, 2010). This shows that in addition to the academic
achievement, one should be able to demonstrate a good level of skills and competencies to succeed in
the employment in today’s competitive world.
Based on the aforementioned facts, it is evident that there is a strong connection between the skills and
employability. The more skills and knowledge one will demonstrate the more chances available for
him getting employed. Therefore reducing or minimising the gap identified between the skills
requirements and skills supply will help to increase the level of employability. The HEIs, as a
responsible body for knowledge creation and sharing, need to place greater emphasis also on the
employability skills of their own graduates in order to prepare them to be competitive and to face
the challenge.
3.2 The changing nature of the skills requirement in construction

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Construction labour market, due to its labour-intensive, multi-disciplinary and highly fragmented
nature, relies highly on the skills and competencies of its workforce. As it involves workers with
various disciplinary backgrounds, the industry uses a wide range of technical and managerial skills.
For construction project leaders, decision-making, leadership, motivation and communication have
been identified as most important skills, in addition to their technical skills (Odusami, 2002). The
labour market requirements of the construction industry are of dynamic nature, changing from time to
time, due to various factors. Some of the factors contributing to the construction labour market skills
crisis and thus affecting the skills shortfalls have been identified (Dainty et. al., 2005). They are
demographic decline in the number of people entering the labour market; the changing and fluctuating
nature of the market and the related decline in the operative skills; the introduction of the new
technologies; the growth in self employment and the use of specialist and labour only sub contractors;
the fragmentation of the industry; the decline in the training and related resources; the changes in the
industrial structure, wastage rates and industrial competition; and considerable market expansion. In
addition to above factors, the recent developments in the economic recession have made a reduction in
the labour demand and vacancy levels for construction workers. The employers are thus trying to
achieve the maximum utilisation with the minimum numbers of workers. This has resulted in the
existing construction workers to concentrate more on acquiring or developing new skills in order to
retain in the industry and to meet various skills demand. In relating to this, Dainty et. al., (2005) has
identified that the employers need the employees to be able to work in more than one trade area and
this has created a need for multi skilled workers. It is, therefore, of utmost important to gain insight
into the problems companies face with the level of skills of their own staff and how do they want such
skills to be improved. Hence, possessing up-to-date skills and competencies has become a vital role in
the construction sector.
4. Role of Built Environment Professional in the context of Disaster
4.1 Demand side issues
Disasters cause a considerable amount of damage around the world every year (Ofori, 2001). There
has been an increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years, and the impact in terms
of human, structural and economic losses has increased considerably. According to official statistics
issued by the ISDR (2010a) natural disasters have caused the death of more than 780,000 people over
the past ten years and destroyed a minimum of US$ 960 billion worth of property and infrastructure.
Disasters create significant challenges to the EU which includes the loss of lives and hindering the
social economic capacity of the member countries and also of the union as a whole. According to
CRED & UNISDR (2009) in the past 20 years, 953 disasters killed nearly 88,671 people in Europe,
affected more than 29 million others and caused a total of US$ 269 billion economic losses. Compared
to the rest of the world, economic loss per capita is high in Europe mainly because it is very densely

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populated. Disaster scholars who have investigated the relationship between development and
vulnerabilities have identified that the impact of disasters are likely to increase in the future (Aini &
Fakhrul-Razi, 2010).
4.1.1 The impact disasters towards the built environment and vice versa
Constructed facilities represent most of every nation’s savings and are vital to the pursuit of economic
activities as they provide space needed for the production of all goods and services and offer people
the opportunity to enhance their quality of life (Ofori, 2008). It is evident that, most of the material
damages of disasters have been on engineering related facilities of the built environment such as
buildings, roads, bridges, water supply plants, communication and power services, harbours, etc. and
therefore clearing, salvaging, rehabilitation and reconstruction work fully or partly require serious
effort of the construction sector. On the other hand the severity of the impact by natural disasters is
directly linked to unplanned urban development and ecosystems (ISDR, 2010b). Haiti Earthquake
which hit on 12 January 2010 resulted in the death of more than 200,000 people and made up to a
million homeless which is an extreme illustration of either unplanned or total lack of development
activity required for disaster risk reduction. According to Witte and Llana (2010), the powerful
earthquake that struck Chile on 27 February 2010 was far stronger than the one that struck Haiti in
January, but the damage was much more contained, with a death toll of 214 which is a thousand times
lower than that of Haiti’s. It is identified that prevalence of disasters are related to how the built
environment is planned, designed, built, maintained and operated (Bosher et al., 2007). Therefore it is
important to implement measures such as disaster risk reduction in development activities in order to
prevent or mitigate the adverse impacts of future disasters and such measures should be incorporated
in policies, programmes and investments of national and local governments (Secretary-General, 2006).
In the recent years there has been a growing recognition that the construction industry and the built
environment professionals have a vital role in contributing to society’s improved resilience which
required a multi sectoral and inter disciplinary approach for disaster risk reduction (Haigh &
Amaratunga, 2010).
4.1.2 The need to respond, recover, rebuild or reinstate the built environment affected by disaster
The need to respond, recover, rebuild or reinstate the built environment affected by disaster can be
identified as a major challenge for the countries affected by disasters. According to Haigh and
Amaratunga (2010) the built environment discipline at each stage of disaster management process has
invaluable expertise and key role to play in the development of society’s resilience to disasters.
Disaster management can be defined as a “collective term encompassing all aspects of planning for
and responding to disasters, including both pre- and post-disaster activities” (CERO, 2004). It may
refer to the management of both the risks and consequences of disaster. According to Aini & Fakhrul-

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Razi (2010), sequential development of disasters can be categorised under three different periods
namely, pre disaster, disaster and post disaster. “Pre-disaster” is before the hazard interacts with the
vulnerable community to cause a disaster (Haigh & Amaratunga, 2010) which includes, operation,
incubation, forewarning and activation phases (Aini & Fakhrul-Razi, 2010). “Disaster” deals with the
immediate aftermath of the disaster (Haigh & Amaratunga, 2010) but according to the Aini & Fakhrul-
Razi (2010) disaster phase includes onset and rescue and recovery efforts. “Post-disaster” is the period
of recovery until return of the community to a normal condition (Haigh & Amaratunga, 2010) but
according to the Aini & Fakhrul-Razi (2010) post disaster period includes inquiry and reporting,
feedback, social justice and social and legislation reforms. Therefore disaster management can be
identified as a cycle of inter related activities. According to Warfield (2004), the disaster management
cycle illustrates the ongoing process by which governments, businesses, and civil societies plan for
and reduce the impact of disasters, react during and immediately following a disaster, and take steps to
recover after a disaster has occurred. Therefore it is important to take appropriate actions at all points
in the disaster management cycle and it will lead to greater preparedness, better warnings, reduced
vulnerability or prevention of disasters (Adams and Wisner, 2003). There is a widespread agreement
in the literature that disaster management is a continuous process and has no specific end point.
Construction industry and built environment disciplines have a major responsibility in responding to
the above context. The expertise of the construction sector is required at the design, construction and
operation phases which includes, preliminary phase, pre construction phase, construction phase and
post completion phase (Bosher et al, 2007). Apart from the physical construction process the
knowledge and the experience of the construction professionals are essential in the disaster mitigation
process which can be mainly divided in to two sectors, namely, structural mitigation where
construction sector should play an important role and non structural mitigation where an influence of
developers and planners are required (Bosher et al, 2007). Structural mitigation refers to strengthening
of buildings and infrastructure exposed to hazards via building codes, engineering designs and
construction practises etc. and non structural mitigation includes new development away from hazard
locations through land use planning and regulations and relocating existing developments to safer
areas and maintaining protective features of natural environment.
4.1.3 Peculiarities of post-disaster reconstruction
According to Masurier et al. (2006) the procurement system of a disaster reconstruction project need
to address the following factors which explains the unique nature of disaster reconstruction.
• Short time for rebuilding: is an important factor in any disaster reconstruction project in order
to ensure timely restoration of affected community. In order to ensure speedy reconstruction

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different approaches need to be adopted in terms of technology, materials and construction
methods.
• Low cost: Many poorer countries are reliant on external assistance in the form of loans or a
grant to meet their post disaster reconstruction needs (Freeman, 2004). Therefore the low-cost
housing is one of the most important components of post-disaster reconstruction (Lizarralde,
2000) and it is important to integrate advanced technologies with available local materials to
enable a low cost, local response to disaster reconstruction work.
• Use of local material, labour and plant: To ensure a speedy re- construction at low cost it is
important that local material, labour and plants are utilised. The parties affected by the disaster
could be employed keeping them occupied and also allowing them to make some extra money
for their existence.
• Well developed communication links between parties: Number of different stakeholders
exists in a reconstruction project compared to a normal construction project and therefore
a higher level of coordination and management would be needed for programmes of
reconstruction following a larger disaster (Rotimi et al, 2006) together with well
established communication links.
• Well developed relationships between parties including trust and respect between parties: A
well developed relationship between parties including trust and respect is of paramount
importance in the satisfactory implementation of the re-construction programme. If the parties
do not work like a team the entire programme could get retarded.
In addition to the above the post disaster reconstruction differs from normal construction based on
following.
• Funding arrangements: Unlike developed economies, governments of poorer countries are
reliant on external assistance in the form of loans or grants to meet their post-disaster
reconstruction needs (Freeman, 2004). Therefore in post disaster reconstruction a complex
nature of funding arrangements exist with a combination of governmental funds and external
assistance.
• Project planning and monitoring: Due to the involvement of international organisations and
donors, they may require different methods and tools for project planning and monitoring
which require new skills.
• Stakeholder involvement: Stake holder involvements in disaster reconstruction projects are
greater compared to the normal construction. The main stake holders of a disaster reconstruction
projects are client; contractor; consultant; donor; NGO’s; INGO’s; government and, the
beneficiary. It is of paramount importance to form an authority with full powers to monitor,
control and guide the re construction work. Many INGOs with little knowledge of the local

10
regulations and condition would be involved with the re-construction work they will require
lot of guidance and assistance in carrying out their work. Further it should be a powerful body
which could take quick decisions which the other stake holders would adhere to without
hesitation.
• Adaptation of disaster risk reduction strategies: Developing and adopting resilient
technologies is of paramount importance in order to prevent the vulnerabilities to future
disasters. Therefore the key construction stakeholders should be responsible for integrating
resilience in to design, construction and operation process (Bosher et al, 2007).
In recognition of the devastating and long term impacts of disasters the term “resilience” has been
widely adopted by researchers and policy makers in an attempt to describe the way in which the
society’s susceptibility to the threats created by disasters can be minimised (Haigh & Amaratunga,
2010). The resilience need to be systematically built in to the whole design, construction and operation
process and not simply added on as an afterthought (Bosher et al, 2007). Therefore it is important to
integrate disaster risk reduction strategies in to design, construction and operation process in order to
ensure more resilient built environment. Mileti (1999) too have identified the importance of
improved engineering for buildings and infrastructure in order to minimise the adverse impacts of
disasters. Hence it is necessary to provide the construction industries with the requisite capacity and
capability to enable them to plan, design and attend to their construction work in such a way so as to
reduce their vulnerability to disasters, and to respond effectively to disasters to save and protect lives,
rehabilitate vital infrastructure, and reinstate economic activities (Ofori, 2004).
4.1.4 Response of built environment professionals towards contributing to disaster resilience
In post-disaster reconstruction, several factors need to be considered as explained above and therefore
required specific knowledge and skills to effective and efficient coordination of various stakeholders,
management and reporting of finances, and in terms of technology and construction methods.
Different technology and construction methods are required to ensure timely reconstruction to restore
the affected community back to normality at a reduced cost. It is encouraged to use local material,
plant and labour for reconstruction activities in order to ensure community participation. The
underlying theorem is that more the recovery relies upon local resource, the quicker the community
will be able to move to self-sustainability, and thus from recovery to normalcy (Lawther, 2009). Also
it is a key factor to note the importance of built environmental professionals in adopting risk reduction
strategies in post disaster reconstruction, in terms of structural as well as non structural mitigatory
measures to ensure proper disaster resilience. Therefore the built environment professionals need to
adopt different strategies in planning, resourcing, implementing and monitoring of reconstruction
activities after an occurrence of a disaster. According to Keraminiyage et al (2007), the construction

11
industry has a much broader role to anticipate, assess, prevent, prepare, respond and recover from
disruptive challenges in the case of post disaster recovery. All reconstruction work should be well
planned in order to avoid future vulnerabilities to disasters and in this regard the efforts of the
construction professionals are very important in decision-making and implementation of
reconstruction work.
In this context, educating the construction professional to make them act efficiently and effectively in
a disaster situation is vital. HEIs delivering Built Environment programmes have a major
responsibility to provide specific skills and knowledge that are necessary to be acquired and apply in a
disaster situation by the construction professionals. The lifelong learning opportunities further enhance
this provision as it will facilitate the HEIs to act as a continuing education centres providing skills and
knowledge in a dynamic environment.
4.2 Supply side issues
The responsibility of higher education, in particular aimed at facilitating through-life learning, was
highlighted in previous sections. This section briefly discusses the some of the relevant supply side
issues.
4.2.1 Competency based learning vs Transformative learning
Built environment requires a diverse range of professionals such as Architects, Engineers, Surveyors,
planners and others teaming up to deliver the products and services. Therefore, education and training
of such professionals is a major aim of most built environment educational programmes in HEIs. This
has resulted in competency based education being a major influencing factors for the design and
conduct of BE HEIs. Newton (2009) argues that professional accreditation bodies have been advocates
of competency based approaches to HEIs, and also note the nature of university education, where the
constraints on course structure, the teaching traditions etc. collectively militate against effective
competency based educational models. Newton (2009) also highlights the growing disagreements
between educational providers, legislators and professionals associations about what competency
means and what the nature of the expertise actually is. As a response transformative learning is
presented as an alternative. This psyco-social approach moves the focus way the individual learner
gaining a discrete body of abstract knowledge, acquired and subsequently applied in practice. It treats
learning as an interpretive process in which understanding is related to action contexts, and not to
prescribed conceptual structures.
4.2.2 Existing methods to improve the skills levels of construction labour market
All the construction related jobs are included within the list of shortage of occupancy which is
frequently researched and published by the UK Boarder Agency. This clearly shows the pertaining

12
demand for the construction jobs and the difficulties of recruitment within the domicile of UK
workers. The construction industry increasingly relies on migrant workers. However, it faces
difficulties as the recruitment of new staff in England has been severely affected by the economic
downturn (CITB Construction Skills, 2009).
The present conditions challenge the employees to possess and be able to demonstrate a range of skills
in order for them to retain in their jobs. It demands the employees to improve their skills and acquire
new skills. Further, the changing nature of the labour market and introduction of new technologies
have also led the employees with no option but to enhance their skills. This can be achieved through
training and development activities.
There are basically two types of training, namely on-the-job training and off-the-job training. The
former helps employees to develop and improve their work skills whilst doing the job. This type of
training includes demonstrations, instructions on how to perform the job effectively, learning by
doing, etc. Employees are also encouraged to develop their skills through off-the-job training courses.
These could include training from external professional or educational centres; undertake short
courses, distance learning or sandwich courses that are useful for their job; and self-learning. In this
regard, Personal Development Planning (PDP) contributes to increase the level of employability. PDP
is directly relevant to employability and it helps students to translate their learning experiences into the
language of employability. It also develops skills which could help students to sustain their
employability (Ward, 2010).
Skills utilisation has been identified as another important factor which will contribute to meet the
labour market requirements. One of the key gaps in the existing sources of labour market information
is on the issue of how employers make use of the skills their employees possess (UKCES, 2010).
Policy makers from across all four UK nations are now increasingly turning their attention to the issue
of skill utilisation in the workplace and this is a development that is likely to exacerbate as there is a
widening realisation that ‘there is little value to an organisation having a skilled workforce if the skills
are not used well’ (UKCES, 2009: 11).
4.2.3 Challenges to integrated approaches
In the quest for creating the capacity for a disaster resilient built environment, the need for a multi-
disciplinary approach has been highlighted (Haigh & Amaratunga, 2010). The need for capacity
enhancement within different sectors of the society such as governments, institutions and communities
in relation to built environment has also been pointed out (Ginige et al, 2010). Given the obvious role
that the educational and training approaches to built environment professional play in this regard, it is
worth investigating some of the observations made in the BE education literature.

13
There have been various efforts to promote integration between built environment disciplines
including that of Latham (1994) and Egan (1998) reports. The need for integration in the delivery of
built environment education has also been identified a considerable time ago (Wood, 1999). However,
Wood (1999) reported the use of interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, inter-professional, multi-
disciplinary and commonality in an interchangeable manner. Although they are closely inter-related,
the need to recognise their subtle differences has been highlighted.
Three key barriers to interdisciplinary studies, namely faculty structures, staff relationships, resource
pressures and the influence of external accreditation bodies have been reported (Wood, 1999). With
specific reference to faculty structures and resource pressures, the study observed scepticism among
BE academics. “... that the issue of interdisciplinary may be hijacked to achieve even more
commonality and therefore save money. The quest for efficiency gains tends to put things into pigeon
holes more than ever” (Wood, 1999, p 378).
Chapman (2009) examined the andragogical challenges to interdisciplinary working in built
environment education, the different instruments and approaches that are used in planning, design,
development and property management; and the diverse interests at work at different spatial and
temporal scales. “Built environment disciplines span a wide diversity of concerns and actions, from
the realisation and management of development and places through to spatial planning at great
territorial settings” (Chapman, 2009, p 10). “....integration of analysis and problem-farming between
disciplines is an essential precursor to any possible integration of decision making. It is this that has
the most transformative potential in the built environment education. In this the structures of the
curriculum and the philosophy of programmes are important, but is vital that the framing of learning
activities enable students to develop deeper appreciation of the interrelationships between diverse
actions in space, time and purpose in the actual spaces that are our built environment” (Chapman,
2009, p 25)
Engagement with the industry is seen as a requisite to rapidly changing industry requirements
(Heesom et al, 2008; Lambert Review, 2003; Leitch Review, 2006). Construction Knowledge
exchange initiative centred around Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and action learning
are used in the industry (Heesom et al, 2008).
Further, the lifelong learning is an emerging concept of acquiring new skills throughout the life of an
employee. The CITB Construction Skills (2009) has identified that more employers are supporting the
lifelong learning and have begun to use associated products and toolkits. Little has been realised by

14
the HEIs to adopt lifelong learning within their education system, despite the fact that lifelong learning
is a core concept in modern education.
In this context, it is vital to explore the role of HEIs in the lifelong learning and how could they
continuously support the construction workers, throughout their life time, through training and re-
training programmes. This research will help HEIs to increase the duration of their student-
engagement, which is presently limited to the course duration.
5. Responsiveness of Higher Education through Governance reform
The objective of this project is directly linked various strategies such as Lisbon strategy, EU 2020,
E&T 2010, and Modernisation agenda for universities. Europe faces major structural challenges such
as globalisation, climate change and an ageing population. The economic downturn has made these
issues even more pressing. In order to address these challenges, Lisbon Strategy was set out, based on
a consensus among Member States, to make Europe more dynamic and competitive, in a sustainable
way and while enhancing social inclusion. The Lisbon strategy thus aims to stimulate growth and
create more and better jobs, while making the economy greener and more innovative. (Europa press
room). The ’EU2020’ Strategy, the successor to the Lisbon Strategy, highlights education as a key
policy area where collaboration between the EU and Member States can deliver positive results for
jobs and growth. This strategy shows how the EU can come out stronger from the crisis and how it can
be turned into a smart, sustainable and inclusive economy delivering high levels of employment,
productivity and social cohesion (EC). If Europe is not to lose out to global competition in the
education, research and innovation fields, this crucial sector of the economy and of society needs in-
depth restructuring and modernisation. In this framework, higher education has an important role to
play. Governments and higher education institutions are looking for ways to creating better conditions
for universities. At the same time, the strategic framework for European co-operation in education and
training (’ET 2020’), adopted by the Council in May 2009, underlines the need to promote the
modernisation agenda for higher education to improve the quality and efficiency of education and
training (Council of the European Union).
The main areas for reform identified in the agenda are (EC):
• Curricular reform: The three cycle system (bachelor-master-doctorate), competence based
learning, flexible learning paths, recognition, mobility.
• Governance reform: University autonomy, strategic partnerships, including with enterprises,
quality assurance.
• Funding reform: Diversified sources of university income better linked to performance,
promoting equity, access and efficiency, including the possible role of tuition fees, grants and
loans.

15
The modernisation agenda also supports the Bologna process, which was launched in June 1999, when
higher education ministers from 29 countries (including the UK) signed a Declaration setting out what
needed to be done to enhance the mobility and employability of European citizens and increase the
competitiveness of European higher education through the creation of a single European Higher
Education Area by 2010.
Since BELLCURVE focuses on integrating the construction labour market skill needs to the
modernisation agenda of the HEIs in the Europe, the vision to increase corporation between the higher
education and the enterprises is the core of this project. Challenges faced by construction enterprises
are fed to the European higher education agenda through the lifelong learning feedback loop, thereby
ensuring the subject content of the European HEIs is dynamic, and of high quality, to address the
market needs.
One of the main areas of reform as identified in the modernisation of agenda is governance reform
which is where the focus of the BELLCURVE lies. Governance of higher education has both direct
and indirect links with the curriculum and funding systems. The reform in governance might therefore
have an impact on the way a curriculum is developed and delivered and on the system of funding, and
vice versa. In terms of response to the changing labour market requirements, the governance reform
proposed through this project ensures that the HEIs will be more agile and dynamic in providing the
appropriate mix of skills and knowledge, to the target audience at the appropriate time.
The Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) define governance as “The
system by which business corporations are directed and controlled. The corporate governance
structure specifies the distribution of rights and responsibilities among different participants in the
corporation, such as the board, managers, shareholders and other stakeholders, and spells out the rules
and procedures for making decisions on corporate affairs.” Shattock (2006) defines university
governance as: “the constitutional forms and processes through which universities govern their affairs”.
Shattock further adds that while governance and management are theoretically separate functions, they
have close interrelationships in the higher education context, in a way not always seen in the corporate
world because governance operates at many more levels in the university context than in many other
fields. The governing body shall ensure compliance with the statutes, ordinances and provisions
regulating the institution and its framework of governance and, subject to these, it shall take all final
decisions on matters of fundamental concern to the institution. (Committee of University Chairs,
2009). Therefore, the governance of HEI is responsible for effective and efficient way of providing
education which is of high quality and sustainable.

16
The Chair of the committee of University chairs, Sir Andrew Burns says ‘In particular, universities
and colleges must respond to heightened expectations from their students, from Government, from
business and from their own academic and professional staff. Learners are more demanding.
Government seeks to underpin economic growth and social inclusion. Business and industry look for
graduates with stronger and more relevant skills to compete in the world economy. And those who
work in the higher education sector have greater expectations of their career opportunities and
progression’ (Committee of University Chairs, 2009). He further states that governing bodies must
therefore also be ambitious, as they seek to mould the circumstances which will convert those
aspirations into successful outcomes within a robust and reliable framework of governance.
(Committee of University Chairs, 2009). Therefore, when providing recommendations to the
governance reform for HEIs to be more responsive to the construction labour market skills needs, the
funding and curriculum issues will also be taken into consideration. The next section illustrates the
conceptual framework developed for the project and briefly explains the outline research process.
6. Conceptual Framework
A conceptual framework explains, either graphically or in narrative form, the main things to be studied
– the key factors, constructs or variables – and the presumed relationships among them (Miles and
Huberman, 1994: 18). Accordingly, this project has developed an initial conceptual framework and
this will be continuously improved as the project progresses. The Figure 1 illustrates the initial
conceptual framework.
G
F
C
Labour Market - EU Construction
Capture
Identified
problem
Employed graduates
Unemployed
graduates
EU Context
LABOUR MARKET SKILLS REQUIREMENTS
SKILLS SUPPLY SKILLS DEMAND
Higher Education
Framework
–
issues identified to address the
Respond
Specialised
skills supply
Sector-specific
skills supply
Generic skills
supply
RESPONDING TO
THE SKILLS NEEDS
Capturing
sector-specific
Capturing
specialised
Capturing
generic skills
CAPTURING THE
SKILLS NEEDS
HEI GOVERNANCE
REFORM
Through-life
studentshi
p
Lifelong University
Efficient
response to
the chan
g
es
Mode of
delivery
Increase agility
of HEI
Mode of
capturing
Frequency of
capture
Identify the
procurer of

17
Figure 1: Conceptual framework
As discussed in Section 4, the labour market skills requirements for built environment professional in
a context of disaster are perceived with the demand and supply side issues. As a body for knowledge
creation and sharing, the HEIs are expected to fulfil the labour market requirements. However, the
problem was spotted within the process of capturing the skills requirements of the EU construction
labour market and the process of appropriately responding to such requirements by HEIs, despite that
HEIs are one of the major suppliers of skills and knowledge. In order to address this problem, it is
important to consider the process of capturing and responding to the needs as a whole.
As shown in Figure 1, all three areas of reform that are Governance (G), Funding (F), and Curriculum
(C) are identified as the major components to deal with within the higher education system.
Nevertheless, the major focus of the research will be on governance reform where it aims to minimise
the mismatch identified between the skills demand and the skills supply. In this regard, three major
elements such as Capturing skills needs (Demand), Responding to the skills needs (Supply), and HEI
Governance reform have been identified and included within the initial framework as shown in Figure
1. All the issues associated with these 3 elements will be analysed in order to address or minimise or
resolve the identified problem. This process involves 4 phases such as framework development,
framework refinement, framework validation and research conclusion. In order to provide the initial
input for the framework, a thorough literature analysis will be conducted. This will help to identify the
issues associated with the framework development. The developed framework will then be refined
based on expert interviews and focus group. The purpose of this phase is to ensure that the developed
framework captures all the important components associated with the identified research problem.
Once the framework is developed and refined, then it needs to be validated for its practicality. A case
study strategy has been chosen to achieve this purpose. As a contribution of the research carried out in
all 3 phases, recommendations will be provided on governance reform for HEIs to become continuing
education centres for graduates while responding to labour market skills needs. These will be in the
form of best practice guidelines and policy documents which will finally be disseminated to the
stakeholders of the EU HEIs and construction labour market. This will ultimately lead the HEIs to
provide lifelong learning to the graduates and in turn to become lifelong universities.
7. Conclusions and way forward
BELLCURVE research project aimed at modernising the HEIs thorough governance reforms in order
for them to be more responsive to the labour market skills needs, considers disaster resilience as one of
the skill areas to be taken into account as a test case. The peculiarities of disaster contexts require

18
specific skills such as multi-disciplinary studies, as well as innovative delivery methods. The
challenges to delivering integrative educational approaches have been identified, hence pointing out
the need for further investigation. The conceptual framework of BELLCURVE recognises the
interwoven nature of governance, curriculum and funding, and therefore will inform and guide the
future stages of the research.
8. Acknowledgments and notes
BELLCURVE research project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This
publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for
any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Prof. Dilanthi Amaratunga is the principal investigator of this project. Dr. Chaminda Pathirage, Dr.
Kaushal Keraminiyage, Dr. Udayangani Kulatunga & Mohan Siriwardena of the School of Built
Environment, University of Salford, United Kingdom; Prof. Arturas Kaklauskas of Department of
Construction Economics and Property Management, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University,
Lithuania; and Prof. Irene Lill of Department of Building Production, Tallinn University of
Technology, Estonia are co-investigators of this project. More information on BELLCURVE can be
obtained from the project website http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/bellcurve
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