INVESTING IN THE FUTURE WORKFORCE


Education & Training Program Helps Build Members’ Core Competencies


By Carol Eaton I


f there is one thing that the pandemic demanded of companies and organi- zations looking for ways to survive


and thrive during unprecedented times, it was the ability to pivot and quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Nowhere was that more apparent at


AGC of California than in its Training and Education program, which helps fulfill a core value of building the competence of its members by training, educating, and engaging around issues that impact their bottom lines. Supporting the growth and devel-


opment of construction professionals at every stage of their career journey, the AGC Training and Education program made a rapid pivot from in-person to online-based learning in early 2020. And it has only grown since then.


Navigating the Shift to Virtual Learning


AGC Training and Education


Manager Kendra Bilo had just joined AGC near the start of the shutdown in April 2020, moving over from the financial services sector where online training was more of the norm than it was in the construction industry at that time. She helped AGC navigate the shift to virtual WebEds, featuring live, expert instructors, as well as self-paced online training offerings. Currently Bilo along with training


coordinator Michael Woodbury and the rest of AGC’s training team are working to expand a robust schedule of training offerings in the months and year ahead. “Our members are awesome and


saw the benefit of the virtual training platforms, which are pretty effective and can be very interactive depending on the topic,” Bilo noted. “We have people


18 September/October 2021


that are out on worksites in their trucks on their laptop or iPad attending training during their lunch breaks. It expanded our ability to reach more members and provided the ease of use and access for more people to get training.” Early in the pandemic, AGC


Kendra Bilo


made a rapid shift to online soft skills training and took an industry- leading role addressing labor and compliance issues relating to the quickly changing workplace rules pertaining to COVID-19. Tey worked closely with Cal/OSHA and other regulatory agencies to transition agency-certified courses such as “Competent Person” training and the OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 courses to an online format as quickly as possible.


Five Major Categories of Focus AGC currently has more than 60


courses offered in five major categories: Safety & Certification, Professional, Leadership, Business, and Technical & Software. In the first half of this year alone the Training and Education program trained more than 2,000 individuals, tapping the expertise of industry leading instructors who average over 26 years of experience each. Te virtual format has allowed


for both national and international participants representing approxi- mately 650 different companies to take part in the trainings. AGC of California collaborated with several other AGC chapters around


California Constructor


the country to help supplement their current offerings to their members. Te AGC Training and Education


team works closely with a Training Advisory Committee, made up of a diverse group of member experts. Tey meet on a quarterly basis to advise on future training topics and review changing member needs. Te AGC team also works directly with the Safety & Health Council to develop various safety and certification courses, as well as with a new AGC Human Resources forum for similar counsel on HR-related trainings.


What’s Ahead? On the horizon, Bilo said they are


working to add a hazard awareness training program as well as a prevailing wage training into the rotation of courses offered. AGC has also been hosting a “return-to-work” series that addresses the challenges and nuances of reopening from a variety of standpoints, addressing legal, safety and health, and HR-related issues. For a full list of current and


upcoming Training and Education offerings, go to www.agc-ca.org/ training. 


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