COMPETENCY NEEDS OF TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION GRADUATES IN DETECTING AND MAINTAINING STRUCTURAL DEFECTS IN RESIDENTIAL
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
A building or edifice is a structure with a roof and walls standing more or less permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. A building is a shelter represents a physical division of the human habitat (a place of comfort and safety) and the outside (a place that at times may be harsh and harmful). Ever since the first cave paintings, buildings have also become objects or canvasses of much artistic expression. Building serves as shelter to humanity. Shelter occupies top ranking after food and before clothing in the list of basic necessities of life and in the hierarchy of human needs dependent on the prevalent competencies (Okoh, 2012).
Building types may range from huts to multi-million naira high-rise apartment blocks able to house thousands of people. Increasing settlement density in buildings (and smaller distances between buildings) is usually a response to high ground prices resulting from many people wanting to live close to work or similar attractors. Commonbuilding materials are brick,block, concrete Cement or combinations of either of these with stone.
Residential buildings have different names for their use depending if they are seasonal include holiday cottage (vacation home) or timeshare; size such as a cottage or great house; value such as a shack or mansion; manner of construction such as a log home or mobile home; proximity to the ground such as earth sheltered house, stilt house, or tree house. Also if the residents are in need of special care such as a nursing home, orphanage or prison; or in group housing like barracks or dormitories. Historically many people lived in communal buildings called longhouses, smaller dwellings called pit-houses and houses combined with barns sometimes called house barns. Buildings are defined to be substantial, permanent structures so other dwelling forms such as houseboats, yurts, and motorhomes are dwellings but not buildings.
Maintenance is essential to ensure that buildings and other built assets present a good appearance and operate at optimum efficiency. Apart from decay and degradation of the building itself, inadequate maintenance can reduce performance, affect heath and threaten the safety of occupants and those in the vicinity. Depending on its design, quality of materials and workmanship, function and location, buildings deteriorate at different rates and require different levels of attention. No building will ever be maintenance-free, but the quality of the design and workmanship can minimize the level required. Maintenance can help: prevent the process of decay and degradation, maintain structural stability and safety, Prevent unnecessary damage from the weather or from general usage,Optimize performance, help inform plans for renovation, refurbishment, retrofitting or new buildings, determine the causes of defects and so help prevent re-occurrence or repetition. Ensure continued compliance with statutory requirements. In order for maintenance to be most effective, it should be organized through a program of cyclical maintenance. At the most basic level this includes daily routines, and works upwards to periodic programs of weekly, monthly, semi-annual, annualquinquennialand so on routines. At the quinquennialpoint and beyond, architects, engineers and surveyors may become involved to inspect for structural and other serious defects (in particular for historic buildings), and the long-term maintenance plan may be revised and updated.
A building defect according to Jacob, (2004) is defined as a material, component or finish which does not meet its expected performance criteria. Building Pathology and Defect Diagnosis can relate to problems in all types of buildings. The results of defects and the analysis of how the defects should be put right can occasionally be straightforward, but often requires special techniques and assistance and a good deal of lateral thinking. Technical expertise and an understanding of building construction are essential to correctly identifying the causes of building defects and the remedial measures required to put the defect(s) right. Instructions typically include inspection, analysis and reporting on the following: Water penetration (dampness & ingress) Condensation Defective detailing and finishes, movement and cracking, concrete and deleterious materials, curtain walling, cladding and glazing and heritage and conservation. In order to provide an economic and effective remedy to building defects it is essential to properly identify what the defect is. In many cases the owner or occupier is only aware of the symptoms caused by the defect. They may note damp or cracks, for example, but in order to address the problem the cause of the damp or cracks must be found.
Competencies in this study are those attributes which enable the application of skills, knowledge and attitude in the performance of technical task in occupations or professions. These attributes that result in high level man power which required long term training duration will always be successful if acquired from the technical and vocational education institutions such as universities polytechnics and colleges of education.
Delandsheere (2007) stressed that the concern of development of competencies are neither not passing of examination nor certification, rather they should center on productive capacities of the student teachers to perform tasks in the occupations they are trained on. Therefore, the ultimate goals of occupational or professionalism expected of a graduate of building technology are the level of functionality of the products after graduation.
Similarly, Brown & Atkins (2008) added that university education should equip professionals in technology education most especially building technology education students with core competencies like theoretical, drafting, computation, management and practical competencies. These competencies they said, should be combined with mentoring or coaching that should transform to problem solving and development of skilled manpower in occupations / professions for the economy.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The building technology graduates through their acquired competencies should be able to instruct building subjects in the senior secondary schools and technical colleges to higher level of proficiencies. Unfortunately, recent developments has indicated that the young graduates are not meeting the challenges of training for the building industry and scholars has blamed the lack competencyon the universities, and technical, vocational and other training (TVET) institution. Should this remain prevalent, the construction industry stands the risk of extinction resulting to stoppage of development of the Nigerian built environment. With the consequence that there may no longer be increased building production to provide shelter for the homeless Nigerians/overcrowded families and also provide annually needed one million building structures for the achievement of vision 20-20-20 to make Nigeria one of the first 20th economies of the world in the year 2020. Osuala (1999) blamed the failure of the technical colleges to produce skilled craftsmen to sustain the construction industry on the building technology lecturers whose training in the universities lacked production competencies.
It€™s been noticed that our technology education graduates have been found wanting in possessing the necessary skills needed to carry out basic operations in detecting and maintaining structural defects, only few of these graduates who are gainfully employed demonstrate their professional skills on the field of work whilemostcould almost not detect and proffer solutions to building defectwhen the need arises. As a result it has caused more damages in residential buildings, wastage of human and material resources, poor service delivery, loss of public confidence in building technicians, and because these graduates are half baked they find it difficult to sustain their employment.
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1.3 Purpose of the Study
The main purpose of this study is to determine the competency needs ofbuilding technology education graduates in detecting and maintaining defects in residential buildings. Specifically, the study sought to;
- Determine the Competency needs of building technology education graduates in detecting defects in residential buildings.
- Determine the Competency needs of building technology education graduates in maintaining defects in residential buildings.
- Examine the Causes of variousdefects in residential building.
- Determine the different types ofdefects in residential building.
- Suggest strategies of improving the competency level of building technology graduates in maintaining defect in building.
1.4 Research Questions
The following research questions were generated to guide the conduct of this study:
- What competencies are required of building technology education graduates in detecting defects in residential buildings?
- What competency are required of building technology education graduates in maintaining defects in residential buildings?
- What are the causes of various problems of defects in residential building?
- What are the different types ofdefects in residential building?
- What are the strategies for improving the competency level of building technology graduates?
1.6 Significance of the study
The report of the study will be useful to the building technology lecturers, teachers,students, curriculum developers, Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning and the society at large, who may want to know the competency needs of technology education graduates.
It will benefit the building lecturers in putting together the course content as this will help in the students acquire the skills that will prepare them for greater challenges in the field of work.
It will benefit the students because it would make them more creative in their area of specialization i.e. building technology. It will also build up the professional career of graduates and undergraduates by making them acquire more professional skills that will enhance detecting of defects in residential buildings.
The research findings will help Curriculum Developers in reviewing the scheme of work in technology education/building technology and as the result it will enhance the students learning process and understanding of basic concepts.
The outcome of research study will be an opener to the Ministry of Urban and Regional Planning, as this will make the officials proactive in their policy making towards location and construction of residential building or whatsoever facility.
Individuals that make up the society will avoid additional structures and installations that will cause fast depreciation in residential buildings they will be conscious of any traces of defect in their homes.
- Scope of the study
This study will be delimited to the competency needs ofbuildingtechnology education graduates in detecting and maintaining defects in residential buildings.It covers the skills requires of building technology education graduates in detecting and maintaining defects in residential buildings, how a lack of problem solving skills will affect detecting and maintaining defects in residential buildings, the different types of defects in residential buildings, and strategies for improving competency in building technology graduates.
1.8 Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms have been defined as they will be used during the course of this study:
Defect: A construction defect exists when components of a building (or the constructed elements surrounding the building) fail to perform their intended function or do.
Specialization: An area that focuses on the specific scope of service in order to gain greater degree of productive efficiency.
Perception: The process of integrating and interpreting information about others so as to accurately understand them. It involves the process of attribution-judging what people are like and why they behave as they do.
Quality: Fitness of input (teacher) to planned goals, specifications and requirements.
Qualification: A quality or accomplishment that makes someone suitable for a particular job or activity
Gender: The state of being male or female
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