| Training:
A Construction Firm's Most Potent Tool
by
Leonard Toenjes
Q: I want to improve the
knowledge level of the trades employees at my construction firm, but without breaking
the bank. I know associations, unions and trade schools offer these programs.
What are the best ways to get continuing education and at a reasonable cost?
A:
Training is an investment, not a cost. One of my associates reminds me that it
is better to train your staff with the risk of loosing a few than to keep them
unskilled, untrained and employed at your firm.
Training options vary greatly
depending on two key variables. These are geographic location and labor market
conditions. Options listed below may or may not be available, but should be explored
in relation to location and labor conditions.
Multiple
Options In almost all markets, the community college system is a great vehicle
for continuing education.
These courses can include both hands-on skill
training and supervisory training.
Community colleges are funded by state
departments of education to serve adult learners at every level. Your proximity
to a community college is usually not very far, and most community colleges are
linked together via satellite to provide distance learning opportunities.
In
areas where unions are prevalent, apprenticeship and journey-level training courses
are commonly conducted with a partnership between the community college system
and privately collected training funds. This structure allows for cost effectiveness
and quality training options.
In open-shop areas, individual contractors
or associations can set up similar partnerships with community colleges to structure
programs that can be funded, at least in part, by available adult education dollars.
In these instances, students can pay a tuition that can be refunded or paid to
the employee upon course completion.
Trade schools that are focused on
hands-on skill development are a difficult direction for contractors to pursue.
Either enrollment is reserved only for students who meet federal guidelines for
funding assistance for disadvantaged or displaced workers, or costs are very high
for private trade schools.
While on-line training for some skills is becoming
more available, the class is still out as to whether this training is truly effective
over the long haul. Some immediate gains may take place, but the long term ability
of students to retain on-line learning is still an issue of debate among educators.
Associations
commonly focus on foreman and supervisory training in such areas as leadership,
job management and scheduling skills, and communications. Depending on the size
of your firm, you may be in a position to have specialized classes for your firm
or a group of firms. It is common to need between 12 to 20 students to make funding
and scheduling of a class reasonable.
The process would include first identifying
the type of training you would like to deliver to your employees, secondly determining
the provider as being a local trade association, community college, or trade union,
and thirdly crafting the scheduling and funding within your budget constraints.
A component of employee payment may be considered as an option to keep overall
costs down and insure some employee buy-in into the process.
Remember,
the risk of training outweighs the benefits of keeping uneducated staff.
Leonard
Toenjes is the president of the Associated General Contractors of St. Louis. He
can be reached at 314-781-2356 or lteonjes@agcstl.org.
Visit the organization's Web site at www.agcstl.org.
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