The political economy of Australian Construction cadetships

Brown, Christopher Clifton

The political economy of Australian Construction cadetships

Brown, Christopher Clifton

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2024

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Brown, Christopher Clifton
dc.date.accessioned	2024-12-05T22:57:35Z
dc.date.available	2024-12-05T22:57:35Z
dc.date.issued	2024
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182380
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Design, Architecture and Building.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	The construction cadetship is a form of work integrated learning (WIL). Existing literature acknowledges cadet impacts in terms of overwork and burnout, however, does little to critically contend with the economics or philosophy behind the labour and educational impacts of this WIL. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate and illustrate the real-world nature of cadetship relationships, explain them, and provide alternative pathways if and where necessary. The research asks; How are construction cadets impacted during their WIL, in terms of education and labour? How do these impacts shape the political economy of the construction cadetship? The data collected from construction cadets and their employers through interviews and observations, gives evidence that cadetships exist as an industry-driven program with limited alignment to best practice WIL frameworks. In this inconsistent, informal and unregulated state, impacts can involve abuse, wage theft, sexual harassment and racial discrimination. The intersectional analysis shows cadetship return on investment is marred by extreme differences in identity, shaped by industry culture, pedagogy and wider neoclassical tendencies. In line with a historic materialist approach, the thesis contributes praxis for new pedagogy, politics and economics, by exploring ways of cooperating to deliver a de-commodified, social and moral construction cadetship.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/182380/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2024 Christopher Clifton Brown
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/nph
dc.title	The political economy of Australian Construction cadetships	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

The construction cadetship is a form of work integrated learning (WIL). Existing literature acknowledges cadet impacts in terms of overwork and burnout, however, does little to critically contend with the economics or philosophy behind the labour and educational impacts of this WIL. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate and illustrate the real-world nature of cadetship relationships, explain them, and provide alternative pathways if and where necessary. The research asks; How are construction cadets impacted during their WIL, in terms of education and labour? How do these impacts shape the political economy of the construction cadetship? The data collected from construction cadets and their employers through interviews and observations, gives evidence that cadetships exist as an industry-driven program with limited alignment to best practice WIL frameworks. In this inconsistent, informal and unregulated state, impacts can involve abuse, wage theft, sexual harassment and racial discrimination. The intersectional analysis shows cadetship return on investment is marred by extreme differences in identity, shaped by industry culture, pedagogy and wider neoclassical tendencies. In line with a historic materialist approach, the thesis contributes praxis for new pedagogy, politics and economics, by exploring ways of cooperating to deliver a de-commodified, social and moral construction cadetship.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/182380