Elevating Skilled Trades to Project Management - The Value of Professional Development

Skilled trades people are in demand, with many sectors of the construction industry experiencing a shortage of workers. While there are ongoing efforts to work towards solving this challenge, such as workforce diversification and better access to apprenticeship programs, it is important to remember that skilled project management personnel are in short supply as well, and that shortage is continuing to grow. Historically, the industry has tackled this challenge through on-the-job training and elevating tradespeople to management positions, leveraging their firsthand knowledge of the work done at the job site. These mentorships, whether formal or informal, continue to be of great importance, but may fall short in today's rapidly changing construction industry. With the adoption of new technologies such as software based project management tools, digital drawings that include 3D and BIM data, and evolving methods of collaboration such as Lean thinking, its important to adopt more formalized methods of continued education and to find ways to make this available to our skilled trades people. This panel discussion will explore the importance of access to information and training, the value of self-paced learning, and the benefits professional development can bring to organizations and the industry as a whole.