The Future of Workforce Development: Professionalism through Education, Teamwork, and Lifelong Learning


The future of the construction industry hinges on our workforce. Many well-respected industry sources are beginning to sound the alarm to focus our attention on the future of workforce development. Their message is clear: If we expect to attract and keep good people in construction, we must improve the construction industry’s image and we must do it quickly.

In a recent presentation before the American Institute of Constructors, John Tarpey, President and CEO of Centex Construction’s Mid-Atlantic unit, had this to say about the state of the industry and its workforce:

“As an industry, we have done a good job at developing the knowledge base and technical skills of our employees. We have done a poor job at developing management skills. And we have done very little to develop leadership skills and to address behavior.

“The irony in this is that this really is a people business. The success of our projects depends upon personal leadership and the ability to develop effective relationships among team members. The success of companies depends upon discovering what best ignites the passions of its people.

“As an industry, we are not going to accomplish this if we continue to be fragmented, with a short-term transaction-based approach. We must develop a common mission. A mission that promotes long-term thinking based on relationships with our clients, each other, our employees and our communities.”

The industry’s opinion leaders recognize that our workforce may be headed for trouble. They recognize that the solution will require a commitment to professional standards with an integrated approach to education, teamwork, and lifelong learning for everyone employed in the industry.

Education in the Construction Industry

In recent years, the industry made education a real priority. The state of education in the construction industry is probably the best it’s ever been. However, the construction industry often places a higher value on experience than it does on education. In reality, successful construction requires both education and experience.

Today, our jobsites are safer than ever before. Trades people are offered careers with attractive wages and fringe benefits. Our supervisory and management personnel are better trained than ever. The economy has been better than ever for longer than ever before.

So what’s missing here? Research shows that the construction industry’s image continues to degenerate at a point when things seem to be better than ever. How can we attract the best and brightest to construction when our image continues to slide? The answer lies in higher professional standards and in recognizing that successful construction projects require a team of professionals.

Professionalism in Construction

When a person receives a baccalaureate degree in engineering, that person is called an “Engineer”. A graduate who receives a degree in architecture is called an “Architect”. What’s the term for a person who graduates with a baccalaureate degree in construction? That professional is called a “Constructor”.

Since its founding in 1971, the American Institute of Constructors (AIC) has fostered the use of the term “Constructor” for a construction professional. The AIC came about as an outgrowth of the Education Committee of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) when a group of visionary AGC leaders established the AIC as the professional society for constructors.

They saw the need for constructors to be recognized as professionals on the same level as architects and engineers. They understood that, until constructors are recognized as professionals, it will be difficult to attract significant new talent to construction.

The AIC carefully studied the models for professional societies in both this country and abroad. They identified the principle characteristics for a profession, which are 1) a basic body of knowledge and peer control 2) the service ideal of client orientation and public trust 3) membership in a national technical society and adherence to a code of ethics 4) a registration procedure to establish standards by examination.

The first project that the AIC tackled, with the support of the AGC and the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), focused on the “basic body of knowledge”. They formed the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE), which is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as the accreditation body for college programs in construction management.

Using AGC curricula guidelines, ACCE began its work to standardized college level construction programs in the mid-1970’s. Today, the it accredits over 60 programs in construction management.

Constructor Certification

In 1993, the AIC organized the Constructor Certification Commission, which administers the industry’s professional exams twice a year in over 70 universities across the country. Just about every leading voice in the construction industry is an active partner on the Commission, including the AGC, ASC, ACCE, the American Subcontractors Association (ASA), Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), and others. It is unusual for any effort in the construction industry to have such a broad base of support.

Constructor Certification is patterned after the engineering profession’s EIT/PE process. It begins with independent verification of an undergraduate degree in construction or comparable experience. A candidate who meets this requirement is eligible to sit for the Associate Constructor (AC) exam. With seven years additional experience a candidate may sit for the Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) exam.

The first AC/CPC exams were given in 1996 and now at least 22 schools of construction require their graduating seniors to sit for the AC exam. This gives you an idea of how today’s graduates are indoctrinated with the concept of professionalism.

But, Certification isn’t only for the industry’s next generation of constructors. Experienced constructors are also eligible to sit for the exams and these senior constructors must lead by example. Consider this statement by AGC President Ralph Johnson taken from the August 2000 issue of the CONSTRUCTOR:

“John Doe, CPC, has applied for work as a project manager at your firm. (There is) nothing whatsoever to distinguish him from dozens of other resumes…save for those three letters that follow his name: “CPC”. My advice? Get him in—pronto—before someone else snaps him up, because those letters…speak volumes.

“They tell you that John Doe is a battle hardened industry veteran with at least 11 years of professional experience…that he is continuing his professional education along rigorous guidelines…and that he meets ethical standards for professional conduct.”

Construction Requires a Team of Professionals

Not even the best constructor can successfully complete a complicated construction project without other professionals on the team and certifications are available for a variety of construction professionals and technicians. Certification is an important emerging trend in workforce development that will continue to grow.

Certifications are available for constructors through the AIC Constructor Certification Commission, support staff through the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC), for specifiers and document technicians through the Construction Specifications Institute (CSI), and for construction industry business development professionals through the Society for Marketing Professional Services. Certifications programs exist for crane operators, interlocking paving installers, exterior insulation installers, and the list goes on…

Recently, the AIC Constructor Certification Commission organized a consortium of the construction industry’s certification authorities. The group met in Alexandria, Virginia for the first time in April with subsequent meetings in June, August, and November.

The group is known at the Construction Certification Consortium (C3). When C3 met in June, Engineering News Record (ENR) publisher McGraw Hill to investigate the possibility of supporting a single web site for all the construction industry’s certification authorities. McGraw Hill recognizes the importance of these certification programs, their effect on workforce development, and their ability to improve the industry’s image.

The importance of certification in workforce development is simple: the professionals who pursue certification hold themselves to a higher personal standard. They’re not afraid to put their skills to the test, demonstrate their abilities, and hold themselves accountable to a code of ethical conduct.

The Crisis in Lifelong Learning

What is it that separates our best managers, our most dynamic leaders, from those who “just get by”? First and foremost, it’s a commitment to lifelong learning. The best among us are constantly improving their skills through reading, study, and a keen interest in new knowledge.

Leading U S industries clearly recognize the need for lifelong learning among their management and executive ranks. But this need isn’t generally recognized by the construction industry, as reported by a September 2000 study by AECStrategies, co-authored by Paul Chinowski, Ph.D. with the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The AECStrategies’ survey of the ENR Top 400 construction companies showed that the construction industry is focusing “on craft training rather than lifelong learning”. The responses showed “the majority of (the ENR Top 400) organizations do not incorporate the concept of lifelong learning (and) no plan of action is in development for lifelong learning.”

This is another indicator that the industry may place greater emphasis on experience over education: the need for on-going education seems to be neglected in construction. This may be why the construction industry is looking primarily at the current shortage of craft workers and possibly overlooking our management and executive ranks.

Our industry needs well-educated, experienced professionals who can work together as a team. But experience and education won’t be enough. The workforce of the future must be committed to lifelong learning as well.

It’s Time for Action

In order to address the growing crisis in workforce development, the industry must develop the “common mission” that John Tarpey talked about earlier. It is paramount that the industry makes a commitment to high professional standards. Further,

  1. The industry must focus on the entire workforce, not only on the crafts and craft training. Colette Nelson, Executive Vice President of the American Subcontractor’s Association, highlighted these issues for consideration:
    70% of the workforce in 2010 is already in the workforce today.
    As the construction market deteriorates, the impact of the shortage of experienced managers will become more serious. How many of our top managers have managed through a recession?
    Among those that have, more than a few have indicated that they plan on getting out when/if it gets bad.
  2. We must recognize that image is important and what worked in the past may not work in the future. Brad Sims, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Construction at the University of Florida at Gainesville, surveyed his graduating seniors and graduate students in the Fall 2000 and Spring 2001 terms. He asked the students to rank the most important factors in accepting a job offer in the construction industry.
    His survey listed 46 different factors. What were the top five? 1) Upward mobility in job positions 2) The company’s reputation within the industry 3) Stability of company management 4) The company’s commitment to professionalism 5) Training.
    Each the top five factors is directly related to the company’s image and its commitment to developing its people. (More information on this survey is available in the May 2001 issue of “CPA Construction Market Niche Builder”.)
  3. We must promote the trades. Dewey Pearman, Executive Director of the Construction Advancement Foundation of Northwest Indiana points out that we no longer have tradesmen who encourage their sons (and daughters) to join them in their crafts.
    Twenty years ago it wasn’t unusual to see multiple generations of a family in the same trade. Now it seems we promote college as the only road to success. This is a mistake.
    College isn’t the only road to success and, for some, it may be the wrong path. We need to educate youngsters and their parents that construction trades are a great career option.
  4. We must foster an environment of respect and standards for civility. About ten years ago a laborer came to me and complained of a newly hired Superintendent, who came to us with tremendous experience and great references.
    It seems the Superintendent was displeased with the laborer’s work and he told him so. But he didn’t just tell him, he berated him. While he was at it, the Superintendent also told the laborer exactly what he felt about the laborer’s mother. (Go ahead, let your imagination run wild!)
    The laborer had worked with our company long enough to know that we wouldn’t tolerate this kind of treatment. When I talked to the Superintendent about the matter, I suggested he talk to the laborer and work things out. The Superintendent chose instead to quit. This was his “management style”, he said, and he believed anything else would undermine his authority.
    This kind of behavior is abusive. It is just as strong a deterrent that affects workforce development as the travel required to different jobsites and seasonal weather conditions. The only difference is that we can do something about this behavior.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Each of us must make a personal commitment to the industry with an eye toward enhancing its image. We must recognize that the future of our industry and its workforce are in a very precarious state. It’s time for leadership on this issue.

Are you an industry executive, manager, or supervisor? If so, you have a greater obligation to inspire individuals to achieve their personal best and you must lead by example.

If you are a constructor, do you demonstrate a commitment to professionalism and lifelong learning? Do you and others demonstrate a commitment to education and professional standards through certification in your profession of specialty?

The construction industry is well represented by trade associations, each with a different focus representing companies from all segments of the industry. The industry’s trade associations have done great work toward improving the image of the construction industry. Now, however, in a day and age when everyone asks “what’s in it for me?”, the next trend in workforce development must also concentrate on individuals — both personally and professionally.

About the author:

T. J. Ferrantella, MBA, CPC, is principal of the Engineered Companies, which are based in Hammond, Indiana and concentrate on the construction of heavy/civil and railroad projects, primarily for industry. He is also Chairman of the AIC Constructor Certification Commission, which is based in St. Petersburg, Florida. He can be reached via email tjferr@engineeredco.com.

 
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