David Brown, sales director of purlins at voestalpine Metsec plc, explores how CPD sessions can help both organisations and construction professionals thrive in the digital era
Technology is continuing to progress as a direct result of Industry 4.0 and the construction industry needs to ensure its processes, products and professionals evolve alongside these changes to stay ahead of the curve.
It’s an exciting time but to thrive in the fast-paced environment, it’s essential both organisations and professionals embrace industry training to enable staff to upskill and take advantage of the innovative technology now available.
A more diverse workforce with a dynamic skillset will see the industry benefit from improved accuracy, quality and productivity, and innovative organisations that offer specialist training lead the way in actively driving the construction industry forward and solving the current skills shortage.
Benefits to organisations
Continuing personal development (CPD) is the process of tracking skills, knowledge and experience that employees gain both formally and informally at work. It not only offers clear benefits to industry professionals, but also enables organisations to position their company as experts in their field.
There are more than 1,000 institutes and professional bodies across the UK using different methodologies for learning, including training workshops, conferences, events, e-learning programmes, best practice techniques and ideas sharing.
Training aims to focus on practical and vocational learning, enabling companies to retain key members of staff, encourage professional development, and maintain an advantage over competitors.
Providing CPD-accredited learning highlights a company’s commitment to innovation, communicating key industry messages and upskilling its current workforce. It allows them to futureproof their business by investing in their core assets: their staff.
A culture that values internal progression motivates staff to succeed, resulting in a more driven workforce and an increase in staff retention.
The accreditation acts as a seal of approval and emphasises the company’s position as a reputable, reliable and quality training provider, positioning the company as a knowledge bank, while providing assurance and recognition, and increasing brand perception.
As CPDs are a requirement for a number of professional bodies, such as the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), where members must undertake 35 hours of continued development each year, organisations that offer CPD-accredited training are preferable to ambitious industry professionals.
If CPD providers outsource their training sessions and offer practical learning opportunities, such as Metsec’s CPD seminars on purlins, which have been independently assessed and certified by CPD UK, construction organisations can directly engage with structural engineers and architects first-hand to share their expertise and offer a clear insight on industry developments.
Benefits to professionals
New methods of construction are constantly being introduced and therefore ongoing training and development play a crucial part in the future of the industry, so it’s important that professionals are on board and can adapt to new practices in the workplace.
CPD training offers a number of benefits to employees as they are able to actively increase their understanding of the industry and keep up to date with the latest regulation changes and product developments.
At Metsec, our purlins CPD enables individuals to gain a greater understanding of these new technological advancements and maximise the opportunity to work more efficiently.
Bespoke software, such as MetSPEC, can make life easier for structural engineers as it is designed with the user in mind, providing an intuitive and reliable solution, saving invaluable time and money, and ensuring complete flexibility of design.
CPD training also gives staff and customers the opportunity to keep up to date with the latest innovations and products entering the market, ensuring they stay ahead of the competition and drive their product range forward in the marketplace. A workforce that is aware of, and can conform to, the required standards also futureproofs the business.
CPD training strengthens relationships, as customers recognise the manufacturer as a reliable and trusted expert. Working collaboratively with manufacturers provides architects, specifiers and surveyors with additional support and guidance, enabling them to streamline their processes and adapt positively to changes in the workplace. For example, in our purlins CPD, customers and staff can learn more on how to value engineer a roofing system, maximise efficiencies and reduce the weight needed in a system.
Regular training not only helps to increase confidence and overall capability, but it also sets up the next generation with a desire to progress and focus on self-development and professionalism.
Conclusion
There’s no denying that the construction industry is evolving at a fast pace, and by proactively making changes in the workplace and educating current staff and the next generation of professionals, companies position themselves as forward-thinking leaders.
CPD-accredited training is widely recognised as a successful and efficient method of education, and it is more important than ever that both organisations and individuals seek and embrace opportunities to upskill to ensure they are at the forefront of change.
David Brown
Sales Director of Purlins
voestalpine Metsec plc
Tel: +44 (0)121 601 6000
Twitter: @MetsecUK
