Month: October 2021

Don’t shy away from learning opportunities.

Learning and development (L&D) opportunities are incredibly valuable, especially when starting out in your career. In fact, a survey by LinkedIn found that the majority of professionals agree that learning is key to their success. This is even more pronounced among young professionals—76% of Gen Z respondents consider L&D as an essential component in their career growth. 

What’s more, LinkedIn’s research found that learning is more effective when combined with social elements like being able to connect with instructors and fellow learners. Ninety-one percent of L&D pros believe that teams are more successful when they learn skills together.

These findings highlight the importance of learning and development in your professional life. If you want to accelerate your construction career, it’s well-regarded to continuously pursue new knowledge, skills and challenges. 

At Autodesk, we want to help you do just that, which is why we regularly hold Autodesk Construction Meetups—a virtual series that gives you the opportunity to learn and connect with other construction pros. These events take place on a bi-monthly basis, and they cover three key areas: BIM, Preconstruction, and Project Management. We’d love for you to join our meetups, and you can do so right here

 

Career advice for those new to the construction industry

During recent Autodesk Construction Meetups, customers shared the advice they wish they’d been given when starting out in their construction careers. Here’s what they said:

1. There are no stupid questions

“Be curious, speak up, ask questions, and document the answers. Someone else is probably wondering the same thing you are.” —Melissa Schulteis, Virtual Construction Lead, Miron Construction

 

The statement, “There are no stupid questions” might sound trite, but it rings very true in construction. A lot of people hold back from speaking up or asking for clarification out of fear of looking foolish. However, this behavior could be holding you back from discovering new things and ultimately, advancing your career. 

So, get curious. Keep asking questions and always share the knowledge with your peers.

2. Plan, plan, plan

“Proper prior planning prevents poor performance.” —Camille Hardin, Project Manager, Flint Builders

 

Planning ahead is one of the biggest lessons Camille has learned in her career, and she encourages everyone to take the planning stage seriously. She also recommends using technology and tools like BIM to aid the planning process. 

By planning for different contingencies, you’re able to prevent issues before you have to disruptively react to them.  Thoughtful planning helps you minimize scrambling to put out fires. 

3. Plan some more

“Plan the work, then work the plan.” —Spencer Mullaney, Project Engineer, Shimmick Construction

 

Like Camille, Spencer emphasizes the importance of planning. He advises ironing out as many details as you can before the project breaks ground. According to him, it is more cost-effective to plan everything in the office instead of dealing with issues out in the field. 

And while you should certainly be flexible in the event of unexpected circumstances, you must still go into a project with a plan and a solid idea of what you intend to do. 

4. Training your workforce is key

“We can provide as many resources as we want, but if someone doesn’t know how to use them, they won’t use them.” Melissa Schulteis, Virtual Construction Lead, Miron Construction

 

In construction, we utilize numerous tools and processes. And while these things are essential, they won’t provide a lot of value if people don’t know how to use them. 

Team members, particularly those who are just starting out, need adequate training to do their jobs well. Whether it’s showing them how to use different technologies or walking them through your organization’s project management procedures, investing the time to educate workers is a must. 

5. Always ask why

“[When] it comes down to a project’s success and trying to figure out how to do it, you’ve got to understand the ‘why’ first.” —Camille Hardin, Project Manager, Flint Builders

 

“Why?” is a powerful question, as it helps you uncover the reasons, motives, and underlying factors driving a project. This seems fundamental, but bears repeating as it supports #1. Get curious and get answers. Asking “why” helps you figure out better ways of doing things. In some cases, the answer can tell you whether or not something is worth doing. 

Understanding the “why” for every aspect of a project can give you a major advantage in achieving a great project outcome. So don’t shy away from asking those questions.  

6. Don’t overextend yourself

“Think about what a healthy balance for your work, for your life, for everything means to you, and then go build it for yourself.” —Spencer Mullaney, Project Engineer, Shimmick Construction

 

At the beginning of your career, it’s tempting to say “yes” to everything and demonstrate that you’re willing to learn and work hard. Spencer points out that while there’s a lot of value in this, you also need to draw the line to make sure that you’re not overextending yourself. 

Being overextended could jeopardize the safety of the team and the quality of the work, so be mindful of your capacity. Don’t take on tasks or projects if you don’t have the bandwidth to do so. 

7. Get buy-in

“When all the team members are on the same page, you will be successful.” —Melissa Schulteis, Virtual Construction Lead, Miron Construction

 

Melissa is a firm believer in keeping everyone aligned. After all, a company won’t achieve its desired outcomes if team members can’t agree on what needs to be accomplished. Getting top-to-bottom buy-in on projects, objectives, and other crucial decisions will ensure that everyone is working towards the same goals. 

8. Make cost-based decisions

“Simplify the problem, determine how big of a deal it is, then use that as a gauge of how much time to spend on it.”  —Spencer Mullaney, Project Engineer, Shimmick Construction

 

Some decisions require more time, while others can be made quickly. If you’re buying $25,000 pumps, for example, then you’ll need to carefully weigh your options. But not all decisions require a huge time investment. If you’re purchasing $50 shovels, you don’t need to take too much time deciding what to get. 

Spencer says it’s important to weigh the different decisions you have to make throughout the project, and determine how much time to allocate to each one. This ensures that you’re spending your most valuable resource (i.e., time) wisely.

9. Never assume

“It’s always best to ask as many questions as you can. It’s an easy phone call, just to make sure if you’re assuming correctly or not.” —Camille Hardin, Project Manager, Flint Builders

 

Assumptions can lead to misunderstandings and costly mistakes. These are things we want to avoid at all costs, particularly in a tight-margin industry like construction. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to prevent incorrect assumptions. 

As Camille puts it, all you have to do is ask and clarify. If something is vague or confusing, talk to your team to confirm the details. This often takes just a few minutes, but it can save you costs (and headaches) over the course of the project.

10. It’s ok to not have all the answers

“You don’t need to know it all.” —Melissa Schulteis, Virtual Construction Lead, Miron Construction

 

Knowing everything isn’t necessary to succeed, says Melissa. It’s far more important to be aware of the resources you have available and where to find them. 

It’s ok if you don’t have all the answers right from the get-go. Recognize that learning is a continuous process. As long as you know how to tap into your available resources (e.g., other people, a knowledge base, etc.) you’ll be able to find the information you need.

11. Learn when to wing it  

“It’s important to know when to build or design a system for what you’re going to do, and when to just wing it.” —Spencer Mullaney, Project Engineer, Shimmick Construction

 

Systems and processes are important, but not all situations call for a formal procedure. As Spencer puts it, sometimes you can just wing it. 

How do you decide when to wing a situation and when to systematize? According to Spencer, you need to look ahead. If it’s a one-off situation, it probably doesn’t need a process or system. On the other hand, if it’s a task that needs to be repeated in the future, then you’ll want to design a procedure for it. 

12. Get to know your teammates personally

“It’s a little easier to work through a problem if you can do it with a friend.” —Melissa Schulteis, Virtual Construction Lead, Miron Construction

 

Melissa recommends cultivating personal relationships with your colleagues, as this will enable you to build trust with other team members. Needless to say, when there’s trust, you’re far more likely to have a pleasant and harmonious relationship with your peers. This leads to a better and more productive working environment.

13. Learn the difference between high-quality work and high-quantity work

“You don’t want to just produce for the sake of producing. You want to produce for a reason.” —Spencer Mullaney, Project Engineer, Shimmick Construction

 

When someone is busy or overloaded, they may have the tendency to just go through the motions of their job and simply do tasks to check things off their list. Spencer cautions against falling into this trap because when you’re completing tasks just to show that you did them, you’re not doing quality work. 

It’s important to catch yourself during these situations and ensure that you’re being thoughtful with what you’re doing.

Final words

There are plenty of things to learn about the construction industry. Fortunately, we have industry professionals like Melissa, Spencer, and Camille who are more than willing to impart their wisdom.

If you want to continue learning and advancing your career, don’t miss Autodesk’s Construction Meetups. These bi-weekly events give you the chance to hear from other industry pros, ask questions, and network with your peers. 

Sign up today and we’ll see you at the next meetup!

 

The post 13 Things “I Wish I Knew About Construction When I Started” appeared first on Digital Builder.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=813

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) is a Construction Industry Institute (CII) best practice that brings a construction-focused approach to planning and collaboration systems for building capital projects.  The process of AWP brings construction professionals into planning from the start to facilitate the early development of detailed work packages that will ultimately guide field activities.

While the AWP process has been well documented, traditional AWP technology applications have been difficult to deploy and not scalable in their application to all projects. While there are many solutions that support massive projects, most projects are small to medium in size and require a different approach.

How can firms find the right solution to leverage AWP applications in a scalable, effective manner?

Generally, uniform solutions fail to fit individual needs. Instead, firms must take a fundamentally different, individualized approach to AWP workflows. In this article, we’ll explore the roots of AWP, its benefits and challenges as well as new solutions designed to enable small-to-mid-sized project success. 

 

What is advanced work packaging? 

Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) is a process framework for industrial construction projects that facilitates engineering planning to be driven by construction sequencing.

Traditionally, the design and construction departments work in silos. The engineering team breaks up work and documents produced by design and construction so they can make sense of needs from an engineering perspective. However, that doesn’t mean those needs translate to logical construction packages. Construction tries to make sense of this information, dividing it up and adding workarounds for anything that doesn’t correspond with actual conditions or constructability.

AWP turns the process in the other direction. This construction-driven approach to project design and execution begins with the end in mind. The order of planning is rearranged to improve efficiency and effectiveness, and construction is involved in planning from the start. Engineering deliverables are aligned with the Path of Construction, so construction priorities also become top priorities for engineering and procurement. From the beginning, work is broken down into smaller pieces of work, or “packages,” that align with the Path of Construction.

 

dvanced work packaging challenges

AWP addresses many of the obstacles that occur in traditional construction planning such as information siloing and preparation failure. Despite AWP’s simple and logical nature, implementing and perfecting the approach comes with several challenges. 

Not cost-effective to deploy on small/mid-cap projects

Traditional AWP applications are often not cost-effective enough to deploy small or mid-capital projects. Most construction software is built to benefit large-cap projects yet the majority of projects are small to mid-sized. The good news is there are solutions out there.

Deployment takes months

Even when these applications are deployed, they often take months. You need solutions that work well right when you need them to. It shouldn’t require a time-intensive and costly waiting period to deploy AWP.

On-premises with high administrative cost

Many traditional applications require dedicated server infrastructure and support to manage their operation. This administration and overhead can add substantially to the implementation efforts.

Paper-based, high latency workflows

Once complete, AWP projects may still result in paper-based, high latency workflows. This only adds to the frustration of users as they try to get comfortable with a new technology yet still encounter many of the same challenges.

Proprietary standards

Much of the data stored and used by legacy systems is specific to that system, and difficult to use outside of that system.  This enforces a siloed approach and leads to recreation of effort in other systems.

Closed architectures, difficult integrations

In addition to proprietary standards, many legacy platforms do not have the ability to support integration into all of the other systems that will be required.

Design system dependent 

Projects may have many design software solutions, but merging all of this data together is a challenge for legacy applications that expect to see all of the data in the formats specific to that platform.

 

utodesk’s fundamentally different approach to advanced work packaging

Autodesk has been on a journey to provide a fundamentally different approach to AWP. This approach is centered around an open, extensible platform for core functionality and partners that solve last-mile solutions for specific workflows. It addresses one of the largest challenges in AWP: scaling the solution to projects of all size and scale. 

Unlike traditional AWP applications, Autodesk’s solution is completely scalable, making it cost-effective for any project. You can start tapping into the advantages of AWP the same way with a deployment period that lasts just minutes, instead of months. Instead of relying on paper-dependent workflows, AWP’s approach features real-time, paperless workflows. The cloud-based solution is available on the web and mobile as well as offline.

Autodesk Forge and Autodesk Construction Cloud Connect leverage public APIs to help to support many of the workflows within the AWP process. This allows a rich ecosystem of partners and customers to develop and integrate into Autodesk Construction Cloud. 

Getting started with advanced work packaging 

To get started with AWP, focus on these four key areas:

1. AWP project planning

Divide work based on the Path of Construction by packaging plans. The number of packages may vary but the overall goal is the same. You want to make the complex simple by creating manageable and executable packages of information, materials, and work.

2. Key AWP roles

AWP relies on specific roles for project team members. These roles include:

AWP Champion: responsible for guiding the project from the topInformation Manager: responsible for communications between the teamsWorkface Planner: responsible for planning and scheduling construction activities

3. AWP must be construction-driven

AWP elevates time on tools by packaging constraint-free work so that construction teams on the jobsite have the tools, materials, and information they need to perform their work with confidence and without delay. By involving construction early in the AWP process, you can improve efficiency and reduce waste. Be sure to engage engineers and project managers in a collaborative exchange with construction. 

4. The correct order of activities 

To achieve the maximum ROI from AWP, it’s critical to follow the correct order of activities. Let’s walk through what to expect and how to get the most out of AWP. 

Before the project begins 

AWP begins when all stakeholders and project team members agree to collaborate from the very beginning to create the best execution strategy. This needs to include everyone from the owner to engineering, to procurement, and construction.

This team should plan to work together to define the order in which planning will be done. Subsequently, the team will determine what information is needed and when. That way, engineering can put information into the design model that is useful to the team in construction.

Define the Path Of Construction (POC) and determine the Construction Work Areas (CWA)

Start by defining the POC, which should represent the optimal sequence of activities in delivering the physical scope of the project. Once the POC has been defined, break the project into geographical areas called Construction Work Areas (CWAs) that are determined by the POC.

 

Visualization of Construction Work Areas (CWAs)

Define Construction Work Packages (CWPs) and Engineering Work Packages (EWPs)

Identify boundaries for each of the CWP’s as the next layer of granularity in construction sequencing. The engineering team will use these boundaries to create Engineering Work Packages (EWPs) based on these CWPs. As engineering progresses and the EWPs become more complete, the construction team will use this information to continue the process of developing the CWPs.

Workface planning (IWPs)

During this phase, the CWP will be further broken down into Installation Work Packages (IWPs). An IWP contains all the information for a construction work crew to complete a portion of an installation. An IWP is designed with safety, efficiency, and predictability in mind and is typically structured so a crew can complete a single IWP in about a week. IWPs are created by the workface planner, then approved by the responsible stakeholders. 

 

Top advanced work packaging technologies

Our extensive, well-supported network of partners offers the solutions needed to scale AWP in one platform: Autodesk Construction Cloud.

O3 SolutionsThis modern SaaS platform leverages Advanced Work Packaging and agile methods to help construction firms improve productivity, safety, quality, and predictability.

Datum 360 The connected data platform is designed for managing Engineering Information and Asset Management data requirements. 

iConstruct The BIM software for Autodesk® Navisworks® improves project performance, and drives collaboration and efficiency across the project lifecycle by ensuring a high-quality conditioned model.

BlackSmithSoftThe cloud-based platform combines all project-essential elements in one place such as  BIM models, schedules, bill of quantity, costs, budgets, documents, field progress, and dashboard reporting.

IntelliwaveThis platform supports the identification and tracking of construction materials, equipment, and tools on all sizes of industrial, infrastructure, and buildings projects.

Tapping into a scalable approach for AWP

Traditional advanced work packaging applications are monolithic in nature, making them difficult to implement. They’re often bloated with unnecessary solutions. This is where Autodesk comes in, providing an accessible, scalable way to leverage the benefits of AWP. To learn more about AWP, join Autodesk at the upcoming AWP Conference on October 26 –27, 2021.

For more information about making AWP scalable for your projects, visit our AWP page

The post The Advanced Work Packaging (AWP) Guide for Construction Planning appeared first on Digital Builder.

The Prime Minister will today announce the UK has secured £9.7bn of new foreign investment in UK green infrastructure at the Global Investment Summit.

He hailed 18 planned investment deals in wind and hydrogen energy, sustainable homes and carbon capture that will support green growth and create up to 30,000 jobs.

Among the headline commitments, Spanish electric utility giant Iberdrola confirmed it will invest £6bn in the East Anglia Hub through Scottish Power, subject to securing planning consent.

This will be Iberdrola’s biggest offshore wind development anywhere in the world and would supply enough green energy to power 2.7 million British homes, while creating 7,000 jobs.

While global logistics firm Prologis intends to invest £1.5bn over the next three years to develop net zero carbon warehouses across London, the south east and Midlands.

Malaysian conglomerate Petra Group will invest £30m in establishing its  Petra Modular business for production of sustainable modular homes, creating 225 jobs. It will also invest £30m in establishing Petra Group’s ‘Green Rubber’ business in the UK, which will see the development of a production facility creating 110 jobs.

 

Other deals announced at Global Investment Summit

US-owned waste specialist Viridor plans to invest up to £1bn in latest decarbonisation technology at its five UK sites to become the first net zero waste company by 2030.Turkish-owned Eren Paper is investing £500m to acquire a mill in Shotton, North Wales, and convert it to produce cardboard manufactured from paper waste. The mill will be powered by biomass fuel.Budweiser Brewing Group and green hydrogen energy services Protium have teamed up to invest more than £100m in a new hydrogen generation system to fuel the brewery’s production and also its key logistics assets, including heavy goods vehicles and forklift trucks.Jacobs will create over 150 jobs as it grows its high-tech Birchwood laboratory in Warrington, where Jacobs carries out research and development to support critical UK national infrastructure.Huaneng will invest in the 50MW Battery Storage project in StoneHill. This greenfield project is a major new milestone for energy storage in the UK and will employ local partners in construction and operationsHiPoint AG will invest £50m to create five new facilities for the recovery and processing of horse stall waste into reusable bedding, fertilizer & bio-fuels, creating 90 jobs across the UK.Ultimate Battery Company will invest £28m setting up a UK production plant for lightweight, eco-friendly batteries, creating 300 jobs.Global Marine will invest £10m in building hybrid engine crew transfer vessels and surface effect ships to service offshore wind infrastructure, creating 10 jobs in the East of England.HyPoint will invest £6.6m establishing a HQ in the South East for the development of their next generation hydrogen fuel cell system, creating 10 jobs.Treedom will establish a UK office in London for their online platform for planting trees, creating 10 jobs.Tes Amm is creating 15 new jobs in Scotland, doubling its electronic waste recycling solutions for lithium-ion batteries from electric vehicles, consumer electronics and IT & mobile technologies.Sumitomo Corporation are launching Presidio Ventures Europe, a venture arm of Sumitomo, focused on energy and mobility.Peer-to-peer lending firm Zopa has raised £220m, led by Softbank Vision Fund 2, to grow their responsible and sustainable banking and lending services in the UK.Getir plan to invest £100m to rapidly expand its sustainable and superfast grocery delivery service across the UK, creating 7,000 permanent jobs in 2022. The business utilises a 100% electric fleet of delivery vehicles.

Bellway is expecting to generate around £1.25bn in cumulative underlying pre-tax profit over the next two financial years.

The returns will spell a bonanza for shareholders with one third of the cash distributed in dividends.

The target came as Britain’s fourth largest house builder posted a strong set of results for the year to July 31 2020.

Pre-tax profits rose to £479m from from £236.7m last time on turnover up to £3.1bn from £2.2bn.

Housing completions were also up to 10,138 from 7,522 with a target of hitting 12,200 homes by 2023. Bellway has a land bank of 86,571 plots.

Bellway also set aside a further net £51.8m as part of its “commitment to help owners of legacy apartment schemes undertake fire safety improvements”  bringing the total amount provided since 2017 in relation to post-Grenfell cladding issues to £164.7m.

Group chief executive Jason Honeyman added: “On a site level, we continue to undertake centralised layout and ground-work reviews, to ensure that quality is preserved, while driving further cost efficiencies in the construction process.

“We have also developed a matrix to help determine the optimum and most cost effective solution for retaining walls, depending on aesthetic requirements and we continue to encourage the sharing of best practice and new ideas through cross-functional and divisional working groups.

“Notwithstanding our strong commercial disciplines, overall cost inflation during the year has been in the mid-single digits, although this, in general, has been offset by rises in house prices.

“We continue to see price inflation on commodities such as steel, timber, MDF and polymers, but there are signs that some of the more pronounced price increases over recent months are beginning to subside.

“There remain ongoing constraints in the supply chain and intermittent labour shortages across the sector as, despite the vaccine success, colleagues, subcontractors and suppliers are subject to self-isolation requirements to curtail the spread of Covid-19.

“In addition, the national shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers and recent disruption to fuel supplies has had some impact on the availability of materials.  In general, these constraints are manageable by adopting good procurement disciplines and forward planning.

“They will, however, mean that construction output in the first half of financial year 2022 is likely to remain similar to that achieved in the first half of financial year 2021.

 

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=784

With 2022 rapidly approaching, the construction industry is taking stock of upcoming challenges and opportunities in the market. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are still at play as firms look for ways to navigate a difficult labor market, overcome supply chain obstacles, and work more efficiently. 

Each year, the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) and Autodesk survey a broad cross section of construction firms to find insights on today’s workforce. Findings from the 2021 Autodesk and AGC Workforce Survey shed light on many of the relevant challenges to be aware of in the coming year, such as labor shortages, project delays, and the rising costs of materials. It also highlights positive emerging trends, including an increased focus on training and development as well as a rise in technology adoption. 

Over 2,100 construction professionals participated in the 2021 Autodesk and AGC Workforce Survey from July to August of this year. Represented firms provide building, highway and transportation, federal construction, and utility infrastructure services. Revenue sizes range from under $50 million to over $500 million. This broad sampling of organizations provides a comprehensive look into the industry’s current obstacles and opportunities. 

 

Firms continue to face workforce shortages

Respondents from across the country revealed that labor shortages still remain a challenge—reporting difficulty in filling nearly every type of position. In fact, there are more openings for craft and salaried positions than there were a year ago.

In last year’s survey, 76% of firms that employ hourly craft workers reported having at least one craft position unfilled. Today, the statistic has increased to 90%. The need to fill salaried positions has also increased, with 62% of firms reporting having openings for these roles. Last year, 42% reported the same. 

Eighty-nine percent of survey respondents say they have a hard time filling hourly craft positions. The hardest hourly roles to hire for are pipelayers (cited by 91% of firms). Bricklayers, concrete workers, installers other than drywall, or truck drivers follow close behind at 88%. 

Eight-six percent of respondents say they struggle to fill open salaried positions. The most difficult to hire salaried roles are project manager and supervisor positions, cited by 79% of firms. On the other hand, fewer than 40% of firms reported difficulty hiring technology and software/database personnel. 

What are the drivers behind the labor shortage in the construction industry? Firms report two key reasons: a lack of qualified candidates and unemployment insurance supplements.

 

Finding employees requires a mix of new and old strategies 

As for recalling furloughed employees, the results are mixed. Of the 25% of firms that have attempted to do so, only 40% say all furloughed employees reported when recalled. The lack of recall varies from unemployment benefits to coronavirus concerns and family responsibilities to unknown reasons. 

Construction firms are employing different strategies to boost the labor market. Nearly one-third have increased spending on training and professional development. Seventy-three percent have increased base pay rates. A little over a third have offered hiring bonuses and incentives. 

Thirty-seven percent are reaching out to career-building programs at high schools and collegiate or technical programs. Nearly a third of firms are using online strategies such as Instagram Live to engage with young applicants. Others, roughly 25%, are connecting with government workforce development and unemployment agencies to find applicants. One out of every four firms is leaning on software to help track incoming applications. 

 

Project delays and material shortages continue in 2021

Project delays continue to be a problem for construction firms. Eighty-eight percent of firms experience project delays, with 75% citing longer lead times or material shortages and 57% reporting delivery delays. Supply chain challenges have led to project changes, postponements, and cancellations for over half of all firms surveyed. 

Even when firms can access materials, they face increasing costs. The rising material prices  have affected projects for 93% of construction firms. 

These challenges have left many industry professionals wondering when they can expect revenues to return to pre-pandemic levels. In our 2020 survey, 38% of firms reported that they believed it would take six months for their business to return to 2019 levels. 26% of firms in the 2021 survey expect it will take six months to match or exceed year-earlier levels, while 17% are unsure when to expect things to go back to “normal.”

 

Construction technology helping offset industry setbacks

In part to offset some of the current industry challenges, construction firms are relying on new technologies. The majority of firms, 57%, say that technology adoption has increased over the past year. An even greater percentage, 60%, anticipate this rate to continue to rise in the next 12 months. The most popular technology investments include:

Project management technology (45% of firms have adopted it in the last 12 months)Estimating technology ( 29%)Bidding technology (28%)Document management (28%)Workforce management (27%)Site safety tools (26%)

 

Construction primed for a more resilient future

Allison Scott, Director of Construction Thought Leadership and Customer Marketing at Autodesk, shared in the news release for the 2021 survey, “The continued investments in hiring, training, and technology highlighted in this year’s study show that even while dealing with ongoing challenges nearly two years into the pandemic, the industry remains committed to building better with a resilient workforce.”

If you’d like to discuss the findings of this year’s research and or other industry related topics, please join us in The Big Room, Autodesk’s community of construction professionals.

The post Key Takeaways from the AGC and Autodesk 2021 Workforce Survey appeared first on Digital Builder.

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.dennis-construction.com/?p=727

The face of construction is changing. As the industry sheds its brash reputation, it attracts more professionals into long-term construction careers. To discuss this and more, we had a quick chat with Aisling Goff, Business Unity Quality Manager at Mercury Engineering.

 

isling, how did you get into the construction industry, and can you tell us a little bit more about your career journey to date?

If I’m honest, it was an accident! Originally, I was training to be a teacher when I realised it wasn’t for me. I took on an admin role in Mercury with the view it would be a short term role, while I figured out what I wanted to do and have been here ever since. I have been lucky enough to work with some fantastic people over the years who took the time and patience to teach me things and I am now the Business Unit Quality Manager for Mercury’s data centre business unit.

Early on in my time at Mercury, I decided I wanted to do a master’s degree in business which Mercury sponsored. It was a big investment to make in me, and I was fortunate and grateful to be given lots of opportunities to grow.  Over the years, I have spent time working in and across different departments and quality assurance teams learning more about the business and the industry. I’ve also been lucky enough to travel with Mercury and have spent time working in Sweden, the Netherlands, the UK and Germany. I feel this has helped me to become more rounded in my role as I learnt so much about other cultures and observed other ways of working across jurisdictions.

You’ve travelled and worked in lots of different countries across Europe in your current role, what are the main differences you’ve experienced when it comes to approaching construction jobs?

There can be substantial differences to the way construction projects operate across Europe—if you drive for four and a half hours from Amsterdam to Frankfurt, the regulations can differ significantly and this affects how you execute the project from start to finish. This can be from how you deal with local authorities to subcontractor partners, or the contract structure. It’s been fascinating and rewarding to learn about these diverse ways of working.

How do you think we can attract more females into the industry and what changes have you seen over the years when it comes to women in construction?

Years ago, I could have walked into client and project meetings and been the only woman in the room but it’s great to see that this is changing and quickly. When I look around our data centre business unit in Mercury, I see many more women in a variety of roles demonstrating the industry is diversifying and attracting more female talent. Recently, I’ve been involved in reviewing applications for our graduate programme, and we’ve seen some really strong CVs from young women wanting to break into construction which I think is fantastic. There’s still a long way to go but I feel confident that in a few years the gender balance in construction will be much more equal.

Traditionally, the construction industry is perceived as being very male-dominated and perhaps a hard industry for women to work in as a result. I used to find the culture seemed very ‘blunt’ and confrontational; I do think women and men are built differently when it comes to the way they adapt to work cultures.  However, I think that this too is changing. The industry is becoming a lot more professional, whereas in the past we were a bit further behind other industries.

The industry is open to many different types of people and personalities now—it’s not the traditional aggressive industry full of confrontation that many people may view it as. There are opportunities for all kinds of different roles. I believe that technology and innovation are helping to scope out new roles and opportunities.  My advice to any woman thinking about pursuing a career in construction is to give it a chance. Don’t be put off by anything you may have heard previously. The classic approach to construction is gone. The industry is embracing new ideas and ways of working which will bring important benefits to all.

How has technology helped you in your role?

Technology has provided me with a greater overview on projects and a level of transparency that I didn’t previously have. From a quality perspective, being able to deal with any issues upfront when it occurs is so valuable. On our construction sites now, our field teams have tablets to take photos so we have almost instant access to relevant data. This provides us improved insight and a sense of control which means obstacles can be easily resolved.

What’s the one piece of technology that you couldn’t live without?

In my personal life, I’d say my phone – I don’t think anyone can live without their phone! From a professional point of view, BIM 360 and the data and information which all our teams input daily help me do my job more efficiently every day.

The post Behind the Build: Interview with Aisling Goff, Business Unit Quality Manager for Mercury Engineering appeared first on Digital Builder.