If I Had a Nickel?

Construction is an industry that is best served when individuals learn from a mentor. Here’s what is really happening behind the scenes.

In a blog I wrote over at Constructech, I noted two things can be true at the same time: a shortage of construction workers and so much ridiculous infrastructure that needs to be built. If I had a nickel, okay a $1, for every time I talked about this worker shortage issue in the last decade, I would bet we could have enough money to seriously assemble some cool people to mentor middle managers and help skill tomorrow’s workers today. We need to focus more on skilling-up to get this work completed. Seems like a win-win, right? Wrong!

As my incredibly wise grandmother would say, way too many people have their hand in the cookie jar. Everyone wants a piece of the action. All these organizations, associations, and independents get paid for their overall memberships and their energy might be misguided. Rather than focusing their efforts on putting potential workers with the best mentors who need to upskill or reskill future workers, they are only touting the desired outcomes.

There is a significant outlay of cash being spent on these campaigns and rather than really finding the best jobs for the people stressing, they cannot find work, or they are not being skilled. More applicants are voicing concern they still cannot find jobs. So, this begs the question, is too much money being put into the wrong efforts and as a result do, they lack real collaboration in the construction industry as a whole?

Sadly, there seems to be a real disconnect between what these promotional efforts are declaring and what is happening with worker fulfillment and the ability to nurture, hire, and train. And in fact, it is the same story we have been telling for the past decade, if not more. So again, we ask the question whether these individual marketing efforts to hire the future of work are nothing more than grandiose lip service programs that lack real substance for real skilling. As you read this, I will ask you personally, have you been upskilled, or reskilled in any way that satisfies your career development?

Some of you have reported to me it’s a game of cat and mouse. I do not want to call out any one organization, but rather raise the awareness level of what we are as an industry really trying to accomplish.

For instance, we built a home here in South Carolina and without trash-talking the trades in the South, most of them were not properly skilled. They just did not have the proper skilling, or craft training, to do the plumbing, tile, painting, etc., compared to the skill level of those we have worked with in, let’s say, the Midwest.

Now let’s be clear, this is not to say the trades are better, but the trades in the Midwest were overshadowed more because of local licensing and regulations, which might have contributed to performance.

Other issues in S.C., might be shortages from a lingering effect of COVID, early retirements, technology, and a lack of skilled mentors to train workers. Put the blame on whatever you want, but the fact remains the construction industry requires mentors to have real mentors. This is an industry that is best served when individuals learn from a mentor. In fact, I would advise anyone in the field to seek out a mentor to skill you—someone who can offer firsthand knowledge to show you the ropes. This is a person who is willing to teach you the real ins and outs, the secrets you learn that you might not otherwise learn unless working side-by-side with a trained professional.

We have all read the construction labor numbers. The construction industry will need to attract an estimated 501,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2024 to meet the demand for labor. That is why learning from a trained professional will give you a leg up on all the competition when it comes to addressing other industry needs like the nation’s infrastructure needs and technology adoption for moving forward, on projects, and more.

This is a great industry to work in. If you work it right you can learn on the job, be trained on the job, while you work, especially if you seek out the right mentor to train you. Don’t buy into the big campaign pitches. Find the company you like and seek a mentor to skill you. Our infrastructure is failing and failing fast. Find a company that will teach you a skill and then upskill you to teach you another and another. That’s the company you want to work for today and into the future.