{"id":114014,"date":"2022-10-06T12:00:44","date_gmt":"2022-10-06T11:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=114014"},"modified":"2022-10-06T12:02:03","modified_gmt":"2022-10-06T11:02:03","slug":"aec-contractors-suffer-construction-workers-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/aec-contractors-suffer-construction-workers-shortage\/114014\/","title":{"rendered":"AEC contractors suffer construction workers shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"

How does the architecture, engineering and construction<\/a> industry make vocational work attractive again and avert what some call a \u201ccrisis level\u201d construction workers shortage?<\/h2>\n

For many construction workers, both in the UK and around the world, the pride and prestige once associated with the industry is an increasingly distant mid-20th century memory.<\/p>\n

Instead, as a global society, many associate blue-collar work with \u201cmenial labour\u201d – vocational jobs left to an economic subset unable to afford or attend college or a university.<\/p>\n

The consequence of this societal shift has left the modern construction industry in a lurch: breakneck demand for the type of infrastructure a 21st century economy requires and a smaller and smaller applicant pool to get the work done.<\/p>\n

In fact, just to keep pace with demand, the US construction industry will need to hire an additional 650,000 workers this year alone. Here at home, there are 244,000 fewer workers in the construction sector versus three years ago, according to the Office for National Statistics.<\/p>\n

How can we fix the construction workers shortage?<\/h3>\n

The good news is that if there\u2019s one thing construction workers do well, it\u2019s fix things. This means the industry\u2019s greatest challenge could be its most important catalyst.<\/p>\n

The first step is what many refer to as \u201cunclogging the talent pipeline\u201d. Brookings, the American research group, defines the talent pipeline\u00a0as the intersection of government, education and business<\/a>. Reversing the construction workers shortage will require realignment in how the public and private sectors work together. Hard and soft skills alike must be taught earlier in employees\u2019 careers and ideally when they are still earning their degrees.<\/p>\n

Likewise, employers need to better inform what that curriculum should look like, partnering with academia, and government. Above all, continued\/renewed investment in STEM education<\/a>, along with university-level mentorship programmes, on-site jobs training and the promotion\/fast-tracking of construction management positions via apprenticeship programmes.<\/p>\n

Along with an unclogged talent pipeline, construction firms must better fund and organise new training initiatives and worker development programmes. This could include the hiring of third parties to deliver expert knowledge and the encouraged enrolment in continuing education courses.<\/p>\n

The rise of the \u2018construction technologist\u2019<\/h3>\n

Perhaps most important, is the rise of what many call the \u201cconstruction technologist\u201d. SaaS construction management company Procore Technologies<\/a> defines the construction technologist as \u201ca construction company\u2019s technology insider; a sort of family tech guru who is intimately acquainted with an outfit\u2019s construction processes. The CT is able to clearly see, in the landscape of options, the best technology fit for the company \u2014 considering price point and plausible ROI\u201d.<\/p>\n

The development of this type of role is critical not only in today\u2019s tech-enabled construction firms but also as a key marketing tool. The construction technologist isn\u2019t the proverbial hardhat. He or she is a software-centric problem solver, capable of managing and integrating a variety of construction technologies \u2014 including BIM, virtual design and construction, drones, VR\/AR and AI.<\/p>\n

According to Kathy Wells, editor of trade publication Construction Business Owner magazine<\/a>, the role and responsibilities of this still-evolving position remain in flux but could include:<\/p>\n