Designing Digitally
01/26/2021
With millions of employees in various career stages, the construction sector faces many hiring challenges. Unskilled, semi-skilled, managerial, professional, and technical tradespeople make up a complex and growing industry that needs new training solutions in our modern, tech-based economy. Seeing how construction skills and knowledge has mostly been passed down from generation to generation, either through vocational schools or on-the-job experience, the demand for specialized training programs is also growing.
Since construction is traditionally viewed as a dangerous and unattractive career choice, human resources in the construction sector has suffered greatly in past years. Online training can help moderate the top HR challenges in the construction sector, by ensuring that prospective workers and seasoned employees are up to date with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in this industry.
The construction industry is one of the few industries that need large numbers of workers for most projects. As such, the number of unskilled workers is higher than in any other trade. Finding employees with minimal skills and knowledge is difficult and a recurring issue in this field.
One major deterrent for people looking to work in construction is the safety factor. Ensuring a safe work environment goes beyond just instructing workers to wear hard hats and watch where they step. A proper health and safety training program can cut costs and lower the risk of dangerous accidents on the worksite.
Construction laws and regulations often change as improvements are inserted into existing labor laws. As mentioned, the sheer number of workers on any one project can make it difficult to train everyone on the proper laws and precautions to follow, and ensure they are actually carried out in the same way every time.
The high risks, lack of centralized training, and uncertainty about career advancement produce a high turnover rate in the construction industry. This holds true especially for Millennial workers which value personal and professional development and choose job opportunities that are in line with this value.
Although some construction companies use mainstream software for project design and projection, most medium and small-sized companies cannot afford to pay for these premium programs. Training employees on how to use new technology can be time-consuming and costly.
This issue might not seem like a big deal, but we beg to differ. Until now, experienced construction workers were the main skill and knowledge resource for new employees. With a large number of experts reaching retirement age, the need for eLearning solutions in the construction sector is growing.
On-demand, anytime, anywhere online learning can help centralize your training programs and make sure all your employees receive the same information, regardless of where they choose to access the courses from.
Microlearning modules can increase efficiency and productivity because it allows learners to access the information they need to solve daily, on-the-job issues. There can be a lot of downtime due to project delays, so allowing workers access to continuing education is the best use of their time when these situations arise.
Gamification is the process by which you turn traditional classroom-based courses into online training courses, peppered with game elements. Rewards, leaderboards, and badges help engage employee learners and have higher completion rates than other content delivery methods.
Serious games bring the fun back into learning. Onboarding and Health and Safety training can be learned and retained easier by using scenario-based modules that allow construction learners to problem-solve a real-world issue, in a virtual, risk-free environment.
Much like serious games, VR and AR can aid construction workers in learning how to drive and work machinery, without ever having to risk employee injuries or damages to the equipment.
To counteract the many HR challenges in the construction sector, construction firms can develop online training programs to train and grow their employees. An eLearning developer, instructional designer, or online learning platform can help with this endeavor. To read more on this topic, download our free eBook.
Find out more about eLearning for learning and development by exploring our website or other resources. If you would like to discuss your own online training needs, contact our team today.
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