Construction Workforce Management: Using Tech to Transfer Knowledge

The construction industry is grappling with a workforce shift that is rewriting the rules of construction workforce management. Workers are retiring faster than the industry can recruit younger employees, complicating the transfer of knowledge. 

Training seminars and videos teach the practical steps for performing workflows and operating machinery. However, it’s the 1:1 conversations with experienced mentors that help new workers uncover efficiencies and learn how to detect and mitigate against potential risks and hazards. 

While nothing can replace the direct expertise of a 30-year industry veteran, technology can act as a bridge, and support the learning and development of every new employee. 

Simplify Jobsite Training with the Latest Tech

Training new employees can be especially challenging in construction. While hands-on instruction is most beneficial for employees to practice workflows, it presents challenges to jobsite safety. That’s where virtual reality (VR) training offers support. VR platforms support realistic, simulated environments that transport new workers to a jobsite virtually. This way, they can practice key skills like operating a crane in a controlled environment. New employees benefit from practicing this skill in a low-risk setting as their supervisor walks them through the workflow. Retention improves and workers feel more confident when they set foot on the site, supporting overall safety. 

The integration of mobile devices and accessible learning platforms across jobsites is another critical component. Tablets, laptops, and smartphones ensure new employees can still access training videos and other tutorials on-demand. If they want to re-watch an example of how to prepare a crane for operation, they can easily view it in real-time for maximum recall and accuracy.  

Empowering Managers with Real-time Jobsite Intelligence

More than 80% of construction companies struggle to hire at the superintendent, project manager, and supervisor levels. Jobsite intelligence solutions are the future of construction workforce management, playing a key part in upleveling their roles, streamlining manual tasks so they can focus on more high-touch, strategic initiatives.  

One of the key benefits of jobsite intelligence solutions for superintendents and project managers is their ability to boost productivity. Jobsite intelligence solutions powered by AI review the vast amount of visual data captured by jobsite cameras. Instead of driving from site to site to check ground conditions and monitor progress, project managers receive an automated report recapping key insights. From the moment the day starts, superintendents receive an update on ground and weather conditions to determine whether it’s safe for the crew to begin work. And if a superintendent gets tied up on one jobsite, they receive an automatic progress update via email for their other sites. This level of visibility helps them make more informed decisions quickly and spend more time focused on strategy. 

 

AI in Construction: The Future of Jobsite Training

While technology can help streamline the training process and simplify many manual tasks for new workers, it still can’t replace the anecdotal knowledge of an experienced mentor. That’s where AI will play a key role in the years ahead by capturing and transferring this expertise. 

Experienced construction teams could train an AI model to analyze visual data and flag potential issues when something goes wrong onsite. This will help new workers who don’t yet understand all of the details they should be looking for. With this insight, they can identify problems before they escalate. 

 

A New Construction Workforce

The construction workforce of the future will rely much more heavily on technology, requiring workers to embrace different skills. While they may not need to spend as much time learning the meticulous details of repetitive tasks like drawing floor plans, they will need to learn how to operate this technology so they can spend more time on strategic, high-level tasks. And for management, the adoption of digital jobsite intelligence tools will help them embrace efficiency while driving safe, secure, and productive jobsites. 

Learn more about how Sensera Systems’ jobsite intelligence solutions help you prepare the next generation of construction leaders.