Putting skill into skilled workers

by Clair D. Urbain

When it comes time to write this editorial, most all of the stories that appear in this issue are nearly finished. This column makes me take a step back and think about all that I have learned as a result of putting these stories together, and from a big picture, what it means to readers like you.

The 2x4 that has hit me upside the head this issue is the increasing skill level needed on today’s jobsites.

Take our cover story as an example. Vee-Jay Cement Contracting Co., Inc. invested several hundred thousands of dollars in a 3-D screed that can take concrete placement to the next level of accuracy and productivity.

While the equipment investment was hefty, the investment in training is also surprising. Vee-Jay sent several operators to a week-long school to learn the fine points of setting up, operating and maintaining this equipment. Few tools or pieces of equipment come with that intense of a training requirement, but those high-tech skills are needed to make this sophisticated piece of equipment perform to its highest level.

Increasingly, the technology requires computer skills. Just as it takes time, practice and training to be able to lay out a foundation or pipe or conduit run correctly, it takes some serious effort to learn how to use a computer effectively.

In high school, I never dreamed that my career would involve the use of a typewriter (there weren’t keyboards or computers widely available yet), so I opted to take a three-week summer typing course to fulfill my credit requirement, freeing up time for a shop class.

Today, I spend a substantial portion of my time in front of a tube and a keyboard ­– much more time than I ever imagined. I am sure others in the construction field share my experience. I had to learn the skills on the job, and if the training was more complete in my high school years, my typing accuracy and speed would probably be better.

However, the skills I have learned keep me competitive. Without the skills, I couldn’t even do my job as it’s evolved over the last 20 years.

Technology will continue to work its way onto construction projects as the components are refined and beefed up to take the rigors of the jobsite. Competitive pressures will also pull it onto jobsites because contractors who know how to use this technology will win the bids and be able to complete the job more efficiently.

Conversely, technology allows workers with fewer skills to do a job that would require extensive training and experience. For example, many of the high-tech (and low-tech) products featured in the story, “More than a yardstick” take some or all of the skill and pain away from accurately measuring all types of work.

The important thing to remember is that the technology is only as good as its user. Training is becoming a very important part of putting new equipment on the job.

Does your company have a skills training strategy? With high-tech equipment becoming more prevalent on jobsites, perhaps you should add classes in computer use in addition to skills/trades classed at your local community college. It is a good bet that familiarizing workers now with computers and similar equipment will pay off in higher productivity in the future.

Published in the January/February, 2004 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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