15th April 2011, 01:49 PM
Fair enough Troll, but I would hazard that during your 13 years you have read journals and papers, probably been to conferences and seminars, and learned various bits and bobs like perhaps the use of new kit - gps, digital photgraphy, to drive, or whatever. It's all CPD and the onus is not entirely on the employer. Of course a good employer should enter into the spirit of the thing and do what is possible to help people with it, but I agree that the problems you describe exist. They also exist in other professions actually, many if not most practices employ a core of permanent staff and hire/fire contract staff with teh ebb and flow of the boom/bust cycle of construction related activities.