Treffer: Australian Construction Students' Experiences in the Pursuit of Human Capital through Cadetships

T his paper presents an assessment of suggestions in international research and media that the modern construction cadetship experience is exploitative and, on that basis, problematises the growing trend of work integrated learning (WIL) in the Australian construction industry. Field research, aligning with the methodologies of major studies in this field, was conducted to examine the experiences of some construction cadets enrolled in construction degrees in six Australian universities. The data related to student experience and remuneration were analysed within a Marxist-Polanyian dialectical framework. The results show there is limited consistency in construction students' experiences and education while participating in this WIL. This indicates that the construction industry lacks a regulated and collaboratively driven program for cadetships. The findings also identify causes and consequences of the high rates of burnout of this cohort that have already been established in the literature. From a neoclassical economics human capital theoretical perspective, this WIL can offer some benefits to construction students. However, given the widespread ad hoc and unstructured employment arrangements, construction cadets can be exploited in ways akin to undocumented and other precarious labour. The construction students whose experiences are the focus of this study have a limited knowledge of their rights and support networks and can be exposed to wage theft extracted under the guise of providing education and experience. While individualistic 'law and order' frameworks may help improve material conditions for particular WIL workers whose experiences can be brought to the attention of authorities, greater collectivisation of labour could be more effective in ensuring more propitious conditions for those in cadetships.

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