In the people-intensive construction industry, well-trained professionals are essential to success. Hiring skilled employees helps reduce rework and overspending and improves project outcomes. With the growing need for more construction professionals, even experienced employees should want to increase their skills to adapt to the changing industry landscape. And once contractors find the best people for the positions they want to fill, they want to do what they can to keep them.
Train to retain your top talent
With today’s skills gap widening, companies that offer superior options for talent development have an advantage. Training and development opportunities are one of the main reasons people choose to change jobs. According to employee development research by ClearCompany, a leading talent management software company, 94% of employees would stay with a company if training and development were offered. Investing in training doesn’t just positively impact an employee’s engagement, 86% of HR managers in a survey by TalentLMS and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) say it plays an important role in retaining your talent.
The training of artisan professionals has become essential for the sector. However, the training and retention of skilled workers remains a constant problem for companies. Many contractors understand the cost of turnover and the value of employee retention, but may not know where to start or feel the problem is too substantial to handle with the resources they have.
How the training is consumed is important
The value that a well-trained workforce brings to contractors is significant and measurable, however like Employee training is also important. For companies to produce better people and better teams, they need innovative approaches to embedding and enhancing the skills of their employees, and a clear understanding of how employees they want to learn TalentLMS and SHRM research shows that the most preferred form of learning for 70% of employees is self-paced, online courses.
Online training allows employees to learn in a way that is optimized for them, at the time, pace and place of their choosing. And the employee expectation to learn and develop their skill set without limitations is evident, with more than half of employees now expecting to learn on a “just in time” basis. Students are open to growth and want to receive the right training at the right time.
While some contractors may share concerns about the academic integrity of teaching practical construction skills through online courses and the potential for a lack of proven curricula and quality assessment, there flexible online solutions that provide high-quality training and validate competence in both performance and on-site knowledge.
For employers, online learning models can offer flexible solutions that benefit employee productivity and positively impact organizational growth. Custom learning pathways can be designed to deliver the precise training needed to meet a company’s talent development goals. Companies can access the resources they need to implement a flexible training program without the need for a formal training department.
Shift part of the responsibility for training to employees
For contractors, finding the time to train isn’t easy and can become a trade-off with other priorities. Online craft training offers solutions that give more responsibility to the employee’s learning. While companies remain responsible for providing access to training resources and establishing learning pathways, employees are empowered to take control of their own development. This change not only fosters a culture of continuous learning, but also relieves some of the burden on employers to monitor and administer training programs.
The construction industry is constantly evolving, with companies increasingly finding new ways to engage and retain their employees through innovative training programs. Online training platforms have proven to be highly effective in training and upskilling craft professionals. Employees who value training have the ability to take charge of their own career development, while contractors can integrate flexible, customized training that not only aligns with their company’s specific needs, but also will guarantee the future of your workforce, anytime, anywhere.
Learn how NCCER’s customizable online training solutions can help future-proof talent in the construction industry.
