CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS


Union Training Programs Embrace Technology to Maintain Competitive Edge, Fill Workforce Pipeline


By Carol Eaton


recent years, ranging from virtual design and construction tools like BIM, laser scanning, and augmented and virtual reality applications to safety-focused wearables, GPS-based solutions, cloud- based digital collaboration, and more. Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic


T


vastly accelerated this trend. Companies and organizations had to pivot to remote collaboration to keep projects and programs running as social distancing rules and work-from-home requirements spurred more widespread adoption of digital solutions.


he construction industry has steadily ramped up its adoption of new and emerging technology in


In its recent “State of Construction


Tech 2020” report, Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated (JLL) found that several categories of construction technology usage grew much faster than expected in 2020 due to the pandemic’s impacts. Tese included digital collaboration platforms, scanning tools, wearable technologies, drones, and BIM and CAD use.


'Keep Up or Get Left Behind' Like many of the contractors who


build California projects, many of the construction industry training programs that supply the skilled workforce pipeline are increasingly embracing newer technologies in their efforts, as well. AGC union partner organiza-


tions including the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC), among others, espouse the philosophy of “keep up or get left behind” when it comes to technology adoption. One case in point is the Operating


Engineers Local 12 training program (OE12) in Southern California. Larry Hopkins, director of training for the Whittier-based program, pointed to an array of technology OE12 has incor- porated into its apprentice training in recent years, including GPS-based technologies for surveying, earthwork and GPS-guided machines. Equipment simulators have also


become a go-to technology training tool for OE12, used to train new apprentices on heavy equipment without the safety hazards found in the field. OE12 has eight different equipment simulators, including one crane simulator and five newly purchased full-motion simulators that are each capable of training appren- tices on 10 different types of machines.


Cost Effective and Safe Te simulators are equipped with


multiple wrap-around computer screens, offering students an immersive, inter- active experience that includes full motion and sound “like they are actually working on a job,” Hopkins said. An apprentice running a loader on one simulator can practice dumping material into a truck being operated by an apprentice on another simulator. “It gives us a safe means to do initial


A simulator training session in progress at the Operating Engineers Local 12 training facility in Southern California.


12 July/August 2021


training and exposure to what heavy equipment operators do without putting them in harm’s way until they have a


California Constructor


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24