To succeed in the coming decades, construction workers will need continuous skills upgrades, according to a report by the Autodesk Foundation and Monitor Institute by Deloitte.
The research outlines a comprehensive framework for examining the skills gap challenge and specific opportunity areas for investment. “We need to understand the effects of technology adoption, how to mitigate the risks, and how to ensure that long-term incentives for success are aligned for all parties,” according to a news release.
The report highlights four key points about how to address the skills gap in U.S. construction and manufacturing:
— Training workers for new technical skills is important, but these skills can quickly become obsolete if they are not explicitly tied to more foundational and transferable capabilities
— The accelerating pace of technological change necessitates workers engage in continuous “skills upgrades,” requiring workers to imagine – and navigate – very different career pathways
— Continuous learning requires shortening the metaphorical distance between learning and work, which is most effective when learning is embedded into work and work into learning
— Closing the skills gap requires addressing a broader set of challenges facing workers: in the marketplace for jobs, at work, and in policies and practices that affect the broader “social determinants of work”
Related Stories
| Dec 1, 2011
Safety tracking tool helping prevent injuries at World Trade Center site
Since putting in place their Safety Management Systems Tracking Tool three years ago, risk managers for the World Trade Center project in New York say they've seen workplace injuries, reported hazards, and workers compensation claims decline.
| Dec 1, 2011
OSHA releases new construction safety videos
OSHA released new safety videos to offer both employers and workers brief, easy-to-understand education about construction safety.
| Dec 1, 2011
GSA Region 5 BIM standards could set national agenda in government contracting
Learning how the GSA wants to work with contractors using Building Information Models (BIM) will dramatically improve your odds of winning federal work.
| Nov 23, 2011
Fenestration council seeks committee members
The National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) is seeking members for a committee to pursue recognition of its ratings procedures from the American National Standard Institute (ANSI).
| Nov 23, 2011
Obama signs repeal of 3% withholding on government contracts
President Obama signed a bill that repeals a law requiring governments to withhold 3% of payments over $10,000 to contractors.
| Nov 23, 2011
USGBC launches app lab for LEED certification process
The U.S. Green Building Council has released the App Lab, a searchable catalog of third-party apps that are integrated with LEED data.
| Nov 23, 2011
Document gives advice on stormwater runoff management
The report, “Rooftops to Rivers II,” provides tips on how cities can use smart infrastructure and green building design to minimize pollution from stormwater runoff and other wastewaters.
| Nov 23, 2011
Zoning changes proposed to make New York City buildings greener
New York City will introduce new zoning proposals next month that would make it easier for building owners to add features that will make their properties more sustainable.
| Nov 18, 2011
AGC offers webinar on Davis-Bacon compliance
Webinar to be held in two sessions, Dec. 7 and 8 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. EST.
| Nov 18, 2011
New green construction code may help push LEED standards higher
The International Green Construction Code (IgCC) is expected to set a floor for building standards and may create the opportunity for LEED certifications to push toward higher ceilings.