Competency gaps of employees in the construction sector in terms of the requirements of a low-carbon economy. Polish and Czech case

energies Article Competency Gaps of Employees in the Construction Sector in Terms of the Requirements of a Low-Carbon Economy. Polish and Czech Case Honorata Howaniec 1,* , Łukasz Krzysztof Wróblewski 2and Hana Štverková3   Citation: Howaniec, H.; Wróblewski, Ł.K.; Štverková, H. Competency Gaps of Employees in the Construction Sector in Terms of the Requirements of a Low-Carbon Economy. Polish and Czech Case. Energies 2021,14, 7868. https://doi.org/10.3390/ en14237868 Academic Editors: David Borge-Diez and Dalia Štreimikien˙ e Received: 29 September 2021 Accepted: 19 November 2021 Published: 24 November 2021 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 1Faculty of Management and Transport, University of Bielsko-Biala, Willowa 2, 43-309 Bielsko-Biala, Poland 2Faculty of Applied Sciences, WSB University in Dabrowa Górnicza, Zygmunta Cieplaka 1c, 41-300 D ˛abrowa Górnicza, Poland; lwr[email protected] 3Faculty of Economics, VSB-Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic; [email protected] or [email protected] *Correspondence: [email protected] or [email protected] Abstract: Environmental policy obliges modern society to transition to a low-carbon economy. After entering to life, the Paris Agreement obligated the signatories to prepare the first nationally determined contributions (NDCs). The NDCs aim first to reduce greenhouse gas emission targets under the UNFCCC and they apply equally to both developed and developing countries. Countries voluntarily indicate what actions will be taken to achieve the declared goals. The construction sector is an industry that is under scrutiny due to its negative impact on the environment, but it also has the potential to reduce it. Activities that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions can be carried out at various levels in the construction industry. One of them is the appropriate preparation of the staff, including equipping them with the so-called green skills. This research aimed to determine the competency gaps of people employed in the construction industry, including competencies in the field of low-emission economy. For the purposes of the study, a questionnaire survey was carried out in Poland and the Czech Republic and based on the results obtained the appropriate competencies were determined that should be possessed by people employed in the construction sector, including competencies related to a low-emission economy. Competency profiles for people employed in the construction sector were built and competency gaps of these people were determined. In both countries, no competencies have been identified in any of checked areas that meet or exceed the requirements of managers according to specific competency profiles. Keywords: competency gaps; low-carbon economy; low-emission economy; sustainable economic development; energy efficiency; energy security; construction sector 1. Introduction Assumptions for the low-carbon development concept can be found in several documents related to sustainable development. The first widely known documents were the Rio Declaration (Rio Declaration on Environment and Development) and a program called Agenda 21, which resulted from the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), widely known as the Earth Summit, which convened between the 3–14 June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [ 1 , 2 ]. In the context of this convention, lowcarbon development strategies are now referred to as low-emission development strategies (LEDS), low-carbon development strategies (LCDS), low-carbon development plans, and climate-friendly development [3]. All these terms are used interchangeably [4]. It is recognized that there is no internationally agreed definition of the concept of lowcarbon development in general, nor of the associated strategies and actions in particular. The reason given is the inability to present their configuration that would represent all the specific contexts and conditions in different countries that may be part of LCDS [ 5 ]. Energies 2021,14, 7868. https://doi.org/10.3390/en14237868 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/energies Energies 2021,14, 7868 2 of 15 Indeed, different levels of economic and social development of individual countries (in this case we cannot only talk about economic indicators; it is necessary to take into account a broader perspective, i.e., cultural conditions, a society’s conviction of the necessity to move to a low-emission economy) make it impossible to adopt unified goals and solutions that would suit each country or region. The first global environmental investment and credit scheme, which provided a standardized emissions offset instrument, was the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), defined in Article 12 of the Kyoto Protocol (the Protocol was adopted on 11 December 1997, but due to the complex ratification process it entered into force on 16 February 2005). However, the Kyoto Protocol operationalized the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) by committing industrialized countries and economies in transition to limit and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in accordance with agreed individual targets. The mechanism stimulates sustainable development and emission reductions, while giving industrialized countries some flexibility in how they meet their emission reduction or limitation targets [ 6 ]. The next significant step was defining the Bali Action Plan in 2007—a commitment of the developing countries to take nationally appropriate mitigation actions (NAMAs) in the context of sustainable development [ 7 ]. At the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP) in Copenhagen, the draft decision for the working group on long-term cooperative action (AWGLCA) listed low-carbon plans as a requirement for developed countries and conditionally (in brackets) the preparation of low-carbon plans for developing countries [ 8 ] The conference resulted in the Copenhagen Accord, which expressed a clear political intention to reduce carbon emissions and respond to climate change, both in the short and long term. The Copenhagen Accord recognizes that a “lowemission development strategy is indispensable to sustainable development” [ 9 ]. The next activities related to NAMA were, inter alia, the creation of a Green Climate Fund in Cancún at COP 16 in 2010, which provide funding to developing countries. Launched at COP 17 in Durban in 2011, the fund directs funds to developing countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to the negative effects of climate change [ 10 ]. According to the assumptions, NAMA refers to all emission reduction measures in developing countries and is prepared under the initiative of the national government. These can be policies targeting transformational changes in the economic sector or cross-sectoral activities in a broader national sense [ 7 ]. These actions are in line with the “commitments” found in Article 4.1 of the UNFCCC, in particular 4.1.b, which requires all parties to formulate, implement, publish, and regularly update national programs containing measures to mitigate climate change [ 11 ]. All country signatories to the UNFCCC were asked to publish their intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) at United Nations Climate Change Conference held in Warsaw in 2013 [ 12 ]. After the Paris Agreement entered into force in 2016, the INDCs became the first nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to countries which ratified the agreement, unless they chose to submit a new NDC at the same time. The NDCs are the first GHG emission targets under the UNFCCC that apply equally to both developed and developing countries [ 13 ]. All parties were required to submit new or updated NDCs every five years (e.g., by 2020, 2025, 2030), regardless of their respective implementation time frames. Taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is therefore one of the main goals of all countries that have agreed to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions and respond to climate change, including Poland and the Czech Republic [ 14 – 16 ]. The transition to a low-carbon economy on a global scale can bring significant benefits to both developed and developing countries. Therefore, many countries are developing and implementing LEDS [ 17 ]. Actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be undertaken in various sectors and areas. One of the sectors that receives particular attention is the construction sector. It is recognized as a sector with huge production of greenhouse gases and at the same time as a sector with great potential to reduce the current negative environmental impact [18–21]. Energies 2021,14, 7868 3 of 15 One of the areas of influence is the appropriate preparation of staff who are or will be employed in the construction sector, i.e., equipping them with appropriate knowledge. The necessity to pay attention to the availability and development of professional knowledge of the construction sector personnel is indicated, among others, by Gann and Senker (1998), Egbu (1999), MacKenzie, Kilpatrick and Akintoye (2000), Clarke, Gleeson, and Winch (2017, 2020) [ 20 – 25 ]. This research work aimed to determine the competency gaps of people employed in the construction industry, including competencies in the field of low-emission economy. The research was carried out in three stages. We determined the appropriate competencies that should be possessed by people employed in the construction sector, including competencies related to a low-emission economy; we built competence profiles for people employed in the construction sector, taking into account the requirements related to a low-carbon economy and we determined the competency gaps of people employed in the construction sector in the Polish–Czech border area, taking into account the requirements related to a low-carbon economy. This work offers two major contributions to literature. Firstly, we have developed competence profiles for people employed in the construction sector, taking into account the requirements of a low-carbon economy. These profiles can also be used in other countries to identify competency gaps of people employed in construction or as a basis for creating such profiles (after completing country-specific competencies). Secondly, we showed the methodology for determining the competency gaps of people employed in construction, taking into account the requirements of a low-emission economy, i.e., we have provided a tool that can be used directly to identify competency gaps in construction in any country. The proposed methodology can also be used to identify competency gaps in any sector of the economy after proper preparation of competency profiles for this sector. The research was conducted in two countries, Poland and the Czech Republic. In both countries, gaps in the existing competencies of employees in the construction sector were revealed. 2. Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Construction Sector The construction sector is a huge burden on the environment as it uses natural resources, releases solid waste, creats various forms of pollution, reduces afforestation, etc. Energy is used in many forms throughout the life cycle of buildings, from the production of building materials, during construction, operation, demolition, and recycling and disposal of materials [ 26 – 28 ]. Carbon dioxide emissions in the preparation of building materials, the consumption of various fuels in buildings and the production of electricity, which is the main source of energy and operation in modern buildings, also have a huge impact on the environment [ 26 – 31 ]. Buildings are estimated to contribute 1/3 of greenhouse gas emissions [32]. Road construction is also a heavy burden on the environment [33–35]. Direct and indirect emissions from electricity and commercial heat used in buildings rose to 10 GtCO2 in 2019, the highest level ever recorded [ 36 ]. Several factors have contributed to this rise, including growing energy demand for heating and cooling with rising air-conditioner ownership and extreme weather events [ 37 – 39 ]. Enormous emission reduction potential remains untapped due to the continued use of fossil fuel-based assets, a lack of effective energy-efficiency policies, and insufficient investment in sustainable buildings [ 40 , 41 ]. Meanwhile, construction is a sector that can make a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions [ 42 – 48 ]. This is due to potential of this sector to implement solutions characterized by rapid impact and high-cost efficiency, which mainly include measures to increase the energy efficiency of buildings [ 49 – 58 ]. Two groups can be distinguished among them: one related to the design and construction of new buildings and one related to the renovation of existing buildings. In the first case, new buildings, in accordance with the provisions of, inter alia, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), should have nearly zero energy consumption [ 59 – 61 ]. Relevant requirements are also placed on the renovated buildings [ 62 ]. An important aspect influencing the reduction of CO2 emissions by the broadly understood construction industry is also Energies 2021,14, 7868 4 of 15 the preparation of the current and future staff designing and implementing construction investments. Raising the professional and engineering skills necessary for the transition to a low-carbon economy is one of the climate action goals set by the NDCs of several countries [ 63 ]. So-called green skills, also known as skills for sustainability, are the technical skills, knowledge, values, and attitudes needed in the workforce to develop and support sustainable social, economic, and environmental outcomes in business, industry, and the community [ 64 ]. The catchword “green skills” is very popular these days, both in political circles and in literature. Unfortunately, there is little systematic empirical research to direct public intervention to meet the needs for the skills that will be needed to operate and develop green technology [ 65 – 68 ].The need of research in this area is also confirmed by the fact that despite the widespread awareness of the importance of sustainable development, even among employers and academicians there are still people who are not familiar with the concept of green skills, who show, for example, a tendency to refer to general green skills as green practices [69–71]. 3. Objectives and Methodology The aim of the research was to determine the competency gaps of people employed in the construction industry, including competencies in the field of low-emission economy. The study was conducted using the PAPI (paper and pen personal interview) and CAWI (computer assisted web interview) technique. The survey was conducted in the period from November 2020 to May 2021 among enterprises located on the Polish–Czech border. In order to reach the respondents, e-mail correspondence was also used, in which, in addition to the link to the survey, a traditional survey was attached with the possibility of sending it back to the sender. Online questionnaires were available at: https://interaktywnie.com/ (accessed on 15 November 2021) in Polish and Czech. A total of 112 enterprises participated in the study, including 32 enterprises in the first stage and 80 in the second stage (55 on the Polish side, 25 on the Czech side). Although the survey was not only aimed at men, 100% of the respondents were male. The characteristics of the sample are presented in Table 1. The research was conducted among representatives of the industry, including: (1) owners of construction companies, (2) people holding managerial positions in construction companies, but not their owners, (3) people dealing with energy certification of buildings. Table 1. Sample characteristic. Sample Characteristic Poland Czech Republic Together Age up to 30 27.3 28 27.5 30–45 40 44 41.3 over 45 32.7 28 31.3 Sex male 100 100 100 Education vocational 14.5 20 16.3 secondary 30.9 48 36.3 higher 54.5 32 47.5 The size of the enterprise small 54.5 36 48.8 medium 29.1 28 28.8 large 16.4 36 22.5 An extensive analysis of the available literature did not allow finding a list of competencies necessary for employees working in the construction industry. There is also no list of supplementary competencies in the area of low-emission economy, which could constitute the basis for supplementing the existing competences of human resources employed in the construction industry. The lack of competency profiles for people employed in the construction industry in general and the lack of a list of complementary competencies in the area of low-emission economy, which could extend the existing, traditional competencies Energies 2021,14, 7868 5 of 15 and together with them constitute a selection set for the competency profile for employees of the analyzed industry, resulted in conducting research in three stages: I. Determining the relevant competencies, i.e., the expected (assumed) competencies that should be possessed by people employed in the construction industry, including competencies related to a low-emission economy. II. Defining competency profiles for people employed in the construction industry, taking into account the requirements related to a low-carbon economy. III. Determining the competency gaps of people employed in the construction industry in the Polish–Czech border area, taking into account the requirements related to a low-carbon economy. On the basis of the available literature, we compiled a list of competencies, including those related to the low-emission economy, that people employed in the construction industry should possess. The prepared set includes both general and specialist competencies in three areas: knowledge, skills, and attitude. The initial list included all competencies appearing in publications on the competencies of employees in the construction sector, as well as competencies that have been identified as necessary in this sector in generally available education programs. The verification consisted of assessing whether the competencies identified on the basis of the literature are mandatory, optional, or not necessary. The respondents could additionally supplement the list. The competency added by the respondents is the ability to assess the technical and economic effects of the decisions made. This competency has been added to the list of competencies in the area of skills. Due to the distribution of responses—most of the respondents indicated that the predefined competencies are obligatory or optional for employees of the construction sector—none of the originally established competencies was removed. The list of competencies considered by the respondents as expected (mandatory and/or optional) in the construction sector is presented in Table 2. Table 2. List of competencies of employees in the construction sector, including competencies related to the low-carbon economy. Knowledge: Skills: Attitude: Low-carbon economy Planning and organizing Teamwork Legal and economic issues in the field of environmental protection Ability to coordinate work Ease of making contacts Nearly zero energy building requirements for new buildings Ability to evaluate the effects of activities Ability to handle stress Sustainable construction project Analysis/problem solving skills Ability to build authority Sustainable building technologies and building materials Decision-making skills Ability to show trust Water supply and sanitation Project management skills Learning to learn Decentralized electricity generation and integration of renewable energy generation methods into buildings Communication Self-confidence/ resilience Solid waste disposal Reacting to a variety of situations Creativity Reuse of materials and controlled demolition Providing help in solving problems Assertiveness Energy efficiency of buildings Waste treatment procedures at the construction site Knowledge transfer Tightness and insulation Analyzing the condition of the construction site, diagnosing problems and solutions Sharing of experiences Thermal bridges Repair of structures damaged by moisture Respect for the knowledge and skills of others Humidity and ventilation Supervision of wet room installations Time management skills Quality and location of windows Circulation control to and from the site Critical thinking skills Renewable energy technology systems including heat pumps, solar and photovoltaic systems, water collection and reuse systems, and biomass systems Installation of heat pumps Self-development skills Energies 2021,14, 7868 6 of 15 Table 2. Cont. Construction process of a nearly zero energy building Installation of photovoltaic systems Sensitivity to the environment Principles of renewable energy systems and technologies Ability to evaluate the technical and economic effects of the decisions made Integrated heating technologies Influence of control systems on heating Layout of the construction site, areas of potential danger, drainage channels Competency profiles were built on the basis of responses from respondents who determined the importance of each competency for the construction sector, assigning them percentages from 10% to 100% (every 10%). Competency gaps were determined on the basis of the difference between the expected level of competencies of people employed in the construction sector and the level of competences currently held in the sector (the level of current competences of construction sector workers) established in the research. Competency gap is defined as the difference between the current competency level of employees in the construction sector, including competencies related to the low-emission economy, and the required competency level. 4. Results On the basis of the conducted research, competency profiles were built for employees of the construction industry for the Polish and the Czech side. These profiles were built in accordance with the adopted methodology in three areas, i.e., knowledge, skills, and attitudes—Table 3. Table 3. Competency profiles of construction industry employees for Poland and Czech Republic. Knowledge Poland Czech Republic Arithmetic Average Low-carbon economy 81% 82% 82% Legal and economic issues in the field of environmental protection 72% 86% 79% Nearly zero energy building requirements for new buildings 78% 81% 80% Sustainable construction project 73% 91% 82% Sustainable building technologies and building materials 79% 90% 85% Water supply and sanitation 75% 89% 82% Decentralized electricity generation and integration of renewable energy generation methods into buildings 74% 82% 78% Solid waste disposal 73% 86% 80% Reuse of materials and controlled demolition 72% 87% 80% Energy efficiency of buildings 88% 85% 87% Tightness and insulation 86% 89% 88% Thermal bridges 87% 88% 88% Humidity and ventilation 89% 91% 90% Quality and location of windows 85% 87% 86% Renewable energy technology systems including heat pumps, solar and photovoltaic systems, water collection and reuse systems, and biomass systems 77% 88% 83% Construction process of a nearly zero energy building 78% 88% 83% Principles of renewable energy systems and technologies 76% 87% 82% Integrated heating technologies 75% 88% 82% Influence of control systems on heating 72% 87% 80% Layout of the construction site, areas of potential danger, drainage channels 77% 89% 83% Energies 2021,14, 7868 7 of 15 Table 3. Cont. Skills Poland Czech Republic Arithmetic Average Planning and organizing 83% 91% 87% Ability to coordinate work 86% 90% 88% Ability to evaluate the effects of activities 86% 89% 88% Analysis/problem solving skills 88% 94% 91% Decision-making skills 87% 92% 90% Project management skills 86% 88% 87% Communication 86% 93% 90% Reacting to a variety of situations 82% 87% 85% Providing help in solving problems 83% 88% 86% Waste treatment procedures at the construction site 81% 88% 85% Analyzing the condition of the construction site, diagnosing problems and solutions 81% 88% 85% Repair of structures damaged by moisture 77% 84% 81% Supervision of wet room installations 76% 85% 81% Circulation control to and from the site 73% 84% 79% Installation of heat pumps 73% 84% 79% Installation of photovoltaic systems 74% 85% 80% Ability to evaluate the technical and economic effects of the decisions made 83% 86% 85% Attitude Poland Czech Republic Arithmetic Average Teamwork 88% 94% 91% Ease of making contacts 85% 90% 88% Ability to handle stress 87% 92% 90% Ability to build authority 81% 88% 85% Ability to show trust 82% 91% 87% Learning to learn 85% 90% 88% Self-confidence/ resilience 82% 90% 86% Creativity 84% 92% 88% Assertiveness 83% 95% 89% Knowledge transfer 81% 94% 88% Sharing of experiences 84% 94% 89% Respect for the knowledge and skills of others 87% 94% 91% Time management skills 87% 91% 89% Critical thinking skills 83% 90% 87% Self-development skills 88% 92% 90% Sensitivity to the environment 82% 90% 86% After defining the competency profiles separately for each of the two countries, the arithmetic mean of the obtained results was calculated. The analysis of the answers shows, however, that there are differences between the required level of some competencies between the surveyed countries. Therefore, the competency gaps for employees in the construction sector have been defined separately for the Polish and the Czech side. The competency gaps for the construction sector are presented in Table 4for the Polish side and Table 5for the Czech side. Energies 2021,14, 7868 8 of 15 Table 4. Competency gap of employees in the construction industry in Poland. Knowledge: The Current Level of Employees’ Competencies Competency Gap Low-carbon economy 49% 32% Legal and economic issues in the field of environmental protection 52% 20% Nearly zero energy building requirements for new buildings 51% 27% Sustainable construction project 52% 21% Sustainable building technologies and building materials 54% 25% Water supply and sanitation 58% 17% Decentralized electricity generation and integration of renewable energy generation methods into buildings 53% 21% Solid waste disposal 55% 18% Reuse of materials and controlled demolition 49% 23% Energy efficiency of buildings 60% 28% Tightness and insulation 62% 24% Thermal bridges 61% 26% Humidity and ventilation 61% 28% Quality and location of windows 58% 27% Renewable energy technology systems including heat pumps, solar and photovoltaic systems, water collection and reuse systems, and biomass systems 53% 24% Construction process of a nearly zero energy building 49% 29% Principles of renewable energy systems and technologies 50% 26% Integrated heating technologies 49% 26% Influence of control systems on heating 49% 23% Layout of the construction site, areas of potential danger, drainage channels 56% 21% Skills: Planning and organizing 59% 24% Ability to coordinate work 60% 26% Ability to evaluate the effects of activities 55% 31% Analysis/problem solving skills 59% 29% Decision-making skills 60% 27% Project management skills 60% 26% Communication 58% 28% Reacting to a variety of situations 59% 23% Providing help in solving problems 55% 28% Waste treatment procedures at the construction site 50% 31% Analyzing the condition of the construction site, diagnosing problems and solutions 52% 29% Repair of structures damaged by moisture 51% 26% Supervision of wet room installations 51% 25% Circulation control to and from the site 51% 22% Installation of heat pumps 52% 21% Installation of photovoltaic systems 50% 24% Ability to evaluate the technical and economic effects of the decisions made 51% 32% Energies 2021,14, 7868 9 of 15 Table 4. Cont. Attitude: Teamwork 56% 32% Ease of making contacts 54% 31% Ability to handle stress 52% 35% Ability to build authority 54% 27% Ability to show trust 52% 30% Learning to learn 51% 34% Self-confidence/ resilience 64% 18% Creativity 55% 29% Assertiveness 55% 28% Knowledge transfer 49% 32% Sharing of experiences 54% 30% Respect for the knowledge and skills of others 52% 35% Time management skills 53% 34% Critical thinking skills 55% 28% Self-development skills 55% 33% Sensitivity to the environment 47% 35% Table 5. Competency gap of employees in the construction industry in the Czech Republic. Knowledge: The Current Level of Employees’ Competencies Competency Gap Low-carbon economy 51% 31% Legal and economic issues in the field of environmental protection 61% 25% Nearly zero energy building requirements for new buildings 55% 26% Sustainable construction project 61% 30% Sustainable building technologies and building materials 63% 27% Water supply and sanitation 74% 15% Decentralized electricity generation and integration of renewable energy generation methods into buildings 64% 18% Solid waste disposal 66% 20% Reuse of materials and controlled demolition 60% 27% Energy efficiency of buildings 60% 25% Tightness and insulation 70% 19% Thermal bridges 69% 19% Humidity and ventilation 68% 23% Quality and location of windows 69% 18% Renewable energy technology systems including heat pumps, solar and photovoltaic systems, water collection and reuse systems, and biomass systems 58% 30% Construction process of a nearly zero energy building 60% 28% Principles of renewable energy systems and technologies 59% 28% Integrated heating technologies 61% 27% Influence of control systems on heating 61% 26% Layout of the construction site, areas of potential danger, drainage channels 62% 27%