Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

Adapting to digital technology

2018-11-19T12:41:43Z

DavidBAJC: Created page with "There are many advantages of making the most out of digital construction. The use of this technology is a massive opportunity for the industry to build more productively, and mos..."

There are many advantages of making the most out of digital construction. The use of this technology is a massive opportunity for the industry to build more productively, and most importantly attracts a younger and more diverse workforce. These benefits are vital for this industry as demand for housing continues to rise year after year, but what are the advantages for contractors?

== Training for the future ==

For generations, skills in carpentry and joinery have always been taught through word of mouth, however, with the advancement of digital technologies, all staff will need to be trained to understand how all of this works. When a construction contractor begins to hire subcontractors, they need to make sure that they are skilled, experienced and have the flexibility to adapt to new technologies.

For example, [https://www.ajccarpentry.co.uk/ AJC Carpentry] has professional Contract Managers that conduct a vast amount of tasks to make sure that the right carpenters and joiners get to the chosen site. They hire a large variety of carpenters from highly experienced to improvers and are always set up to work together so that they can learn new tricks of the trade.

According to CITB’s latest document on [https://www.citb.co.uk/documents/research/unlocking_constructions_digital_future_full_report_1_oct2018.pdf the digital future on construction]:

“Construction businesses not only need to be able to use this technology, but to make the most of it. This means:

* Knowing when to use it - and when not to;
* Actively considering the problems it could solve rather than adopting technology for its own sake;
* Understanding how to embed its adoption and how to communicate its benefits;
* Being clear on the information management needed to support it.”

It’s clear to see that the methods of training should not just be about learning how to use this technology, but also building the attitudes and mindset when working with it.

== Using Innovative Digital Technologies ==

As the use of technology increases year after year, construction companies are starting to use a variety of new tools to improve productivity onsite:

* Augmented reality
* Virtual reality
* Automation
* Automated vehicles
* Drones
* 3D printing
* Artificial intelligence (AI)
* Wearable tech
* Online applications
* Data Analytics

“For some, this has been a stepping stone to more advanced technologies, as staff started to see the benefits of digital and help to find new ways of solving problems” - Unlocking Construction’s Digital Future Report - CITB

Augmented and virtual reality can be used to help model, plan and visualise progress onsite with the intention to allow staff to see how the ending result or process during the build.

Another technology which is becoming more commonly used is drones. Drones can help improve the process and efficiency of surveying, which is also a much safer way to do because it can move around dangerous places that are hard to reach.

== The Future of Data ==

Data is one of the most fundamental resources for many businesses, including the construction industry.

“We want a data centre like an F1 team who know everything about the car every second. We want to replicate this for the construction site” - Head of innovation, a client of CITB.

For a contractor, data can cover:

* Recruitment
* Work performance
* Estimating costs and quotations
* Resource management
* Quality control
* Health & safety

With the advancement of digital technologies, contractors will be able to input data more efficiently with predictive text, voice recognition and screen capturing documents. By having this data stored into a secure database (or the cloud), staff will be able to easily access this data through a variety of devices online, while updating and sending across updated data in seconds.

== Summary ==

Adapting to different technologies is very difficult for workers, especially when they have been using the same techniques taught through word of mouth for many years. Although the methods in construction are still the same, it’s been the advancement of technology that has improved the productivity and efficiency of projects.

The digital age is the next revolutionary step, which will take construction to the next level, and it’s vital that contractors adapt to this new technology just like they did generations ago.

Report shows growing demand in skills in the construction industry

2018-06-20T11:18:56Z

DavidBAJC:

CITB (The Construction Industry Training Board) has recently released a research report, which shows that there will be a large demand for transferable skills as recruitment will become more difficult after Brexit.

Although this might sound a bit gloomy, there will be no shortage of opportunities for workers because the report estimates that 158,000 new construction jobs will be created between 2018-2022.

The problem is that those new positions need to be filled with skilled workers. There are so many many benefits of learning new skills:

* Better salaries
* Investment in up-skilling or training
* Increased job satisfaction
* Increased motivation & confidence

== Why is there a lack of skills in the industry? ==

With employers experiencing the lack of skills across the UK, it’s important to identify where companies need to improve and it’s clear to see where they are in the CITB report.

The government has given house builders tougher targets as the demand for houses increase year after year, and the number of positions needed to achieve these targets is not getting filled. [https://www.rics.org/uk/ The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors] has predicted that the lack of skills could impact 27,000 construction projects every year due to the lack of staff.

[https://www.citb.co.uk/news-events/uk-construction-skills-time-bomb/ More than 400,000 UK construction workers are set to retire in the next 5-10 years], so it’s incredibly important that the younger generation is upskilled and meeting the goals of building 300,000 new homes every year.

== How do we encourage younger people to get into construction? ==

The good news is that the government are encouraging young people to take more apprenticeships by setting a target of 3 million across all sectors.

Another way to attract more workers in this industry is to introduce more flexible working hours as this could be more attractive for staff who may need a little incentive to stay in work longer.

Education is key, so its good to see that the government are trying to encourage more apprenticeships in this sector.

== What qualifications do you need? ==

The most popular qualifications going at the moment is the NVQ Level 2 Site Carpentry and Joinery course. The majority of future carpenters and joiners take this certification as an apprenticeship so that they can earn and learn on the go. Housebuilders such as [https://www.ajccarpentry.co.uk AJC Carpentry] take on many apprentices onto their sites to help them learn in a real working environment.

== Summary ==

As the demand for housing grows higher and higher, it’s always going to be a challenge to have skilled construction workers to meet these targets.

It’s good to see that more apprenticeships are being introduced in this sector but it’s important that the basic skills are taught in secondary schools as well. This should help encourage and inspire young people to get into the world of construction and enhance their skills with carpentry & joinery.

The decline in skilled workers in this industry was expected, but this can be fixed if industry experts, the government and schools collaborate to try and encourage younger people to work in this sector.

Report shows growing demand in skills in the construction industry

2018-06-20T11:18:08Z

DavidBAJC: Created page with "CITB (The Construction Industry Training Board) has recently released a research report, which shows that there will be a large demand for transferable skills as recruitment will..."

CITB (The Construction Industry Training Board) has recently released a research report, which shows that there will be a large demand for transferable skills as recruitment will become more difficult after Brexit.

Although this might sound a bit gloomy, there will be no shortage of opportunities for workers because the report estimates that 158,000 new construction jobs will be created between 2018-2022.

The problem is that those new positions need to be filled with skilled workers. There are so many many benefits of learning new skills:

* Better salaries
* Investment in up-skilling or training
* Increased job satisfaction
* Increased motivation & confidence

Why is there a lack of skills in the industry?

With employers experiencing the lack of skills across the UK, it’s important to identify where companies need to improve and it’s clear to see where they are in the CITB report.

The government has given house builders tougher targets as the demand for houses increase year after year, and the number of positions needed to achieve these targets is not getting filled. [https://www.rics.org/uk/ The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors] has predicted that the lack of skills could impact 27,000 construction projects every year due to the lack of staff.

[https://www.citb.co.uk/news-events/uk-construction-skills-time-bomb/ More than 400,000 UK construction workers are set to retire in the next 5-10 years], so it’s incredibly important that the younger generation is upskilled and meeting the goals of building 300,000 new homes every year.

How do we encourage younger people to get into construction?

The good news is that the government are encouraging young people to take more apprenticeships by setting a target of 3 million across all sectors.

Another way to attract more workers in this industry is to introduce more flexible working hours as this could be more attractive for staff who may need a little incentive to stay in work longer.

Education is key, so its good to see that the government are trying to encourage more apprenticeships in this sector.

What qualifications do you need?

The most popular qualifications going at the moment is the NVQ Level 2 Site Carpentry and Joinery course. The majority of future carpenters and joiners take this certification as an apprenticeship so that they can earn and learn on the go. Housebuilders such as [https://www.ajccarpentry.co.uk AJC Carpentry] take on many apprentices onto their sites to help them learn in a real working environment.

Summary

As the demand for housing grows higher and higher, it’s always going to be a challenge to have skilled construction workers to meet these targets.

It’s good to see that more apprenticeships are being introduced in this sector but it’s important that the basic skills are taught in secondary schools as well. This should help encourage and inspire young people to get into the world of construction and enhance their skills with carpentry & joinery.

The decline in skilled workers in this industry was expected, but this can be fixed if industry experts, the government and schools collaborate to try and encourage younger people to work in this sector.

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2018-05-01T11:14:17Z

DavidBAJC:

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2018-04-18T09:32:56Z

DavidBAJC: