If you work in the construction industry, it’s crucial that you’re up to date with the latest developments, enabling you to perform your job correctly, effectively, and safely. While this may seem obvious, employee training tends to be one of the most underrated aspects of management in the construction trade. To achieve major business goals and to ensure you’re working to the best of your ability, here are a few reasons why regular training for construction professionals is important.

Use it as a recruitment tool

If you are the owner of a construction business, the recruitment process can be made much easier when you provide opportunities to employees that will not only advance their professional standing, but skills too. We all know how competitive the hiring environment can be in today’s world, so offering a quality workforce training program can be seen as a huge benefit in your business.

If you provide on the job training for industries in high demand such as electricians and plumbers, this will decrease the bar of entry, meaning more and more people are encouraged to apply for the role. Having a larger pool of candidates will give you a bigger selection to pick from when it comes to hiring a person right for the job. What’s more, training will enable you to focus on their skills. As your business expands and your team gains experience, some of your workers may want to further their careers by entering management and leadership positions. With a bigger pool of recruits to pick from, you will have a much better chance of finding the right personality types you require to take on the jobs.

Reduce the skills gap

With more and more Baby Boomers entering retirement, it’s up to Millennials and Gen Z workers to fill the gap in the construction industry. When differentiating between Baby Boomers and Millennials, there are lots of differences between the two generations. Not only do they differ in knowledge and experience, but the training delivered today is much different to how it was in the past, therefore it’s crucial that the training process is streamlined and systematized to help close the gap and build a more productive and efficient team.

Improve risk management

Whether you’re an employee of a construction company or you’re the one in charge, the safety and security of workers should be every business’s number one priority. However, without regular training, employees may not be aware of the risks and hazards involved in their day to day activities. It’s likely that the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) will be involved in your business. The OSHA carried out over 70,000 workplace inspections in 2018, with its findings making a huge impact on the way businesses are run. With new health and safety regulations coming into play, worker deaths in the United States have decreased on average from 38 deaths per day in 1970, to 14 in 2017.

Although this sounds positive, 14 deaths per day is nothing to be happy about. It’s crucial that construction businesses improve their risk management, with the first point of call being training. The last thing you will want is to be faced with a hefty fine, and with construction being such a high-risk industry, the OSHA has established four areas (known as the fatal four) of workplace injuries. These are being struck by an object, falls, electrocutions, and being crushed or caught in machinery and equipment.

With thorough and regular training, these fatal risks can be dramatically decreased. Reducing risks means that you need to be prepared, and more importantly, prepare your employees with the correct safety training. You can take advantage of training to not only better manage risks, but to also reduce on the job injuries. Having a learning management system that’s easy to use, mobile friendly, and available 24/7 is important.

Employees who conduct risky work need to have constant access to training content, helping them to stay safe at work. Being able to access content at any time will mean employees can navigate problems much easier, helping them to retain critical information. Not only will this be helpful when it comes to health and safety, but when it’s deployed in the correct way, thorough training can extend your business’s values and culture.

Invest in employees

By providing on the job training alongside online courses, your business will be investing time and effort into your employees. Creating opportunities via training will pave a clear career path that your workforce will want to follow, helping to boost their self-esteem and confidence, not only in themselves, but in your business. Laborers who are seeking advancement within their field can take advantage of regular training, helping them on their way to securing roles in the managerial sector.

When taking the construction field into account, the industry has largely focused on luring in new young workers, making learning especially important. Lots of research has suggested that those who could see a career path within their current organization were much more likely to remain with their employer. What’s more, nearly half of millennials stated that they would leave their current position for one that provided professional development. Taking an interest in young workers and being on hand to provide support and advice can also reduce staff turnover.

Boosting productivity

Like with any sort of training in the workplace, employees want to feel valued and appreciated for their hard work. If you are in the construction industry, keeping your workforce happy and productive is crucial not only for the running of your business, but to ensure your team does not go elsewhere for employment. Regular training can be a great opportunity for new and existing workers to home in on and develop their skills, helping them to succeed in their roles.

Finding training

Now you have an idea of just how important regular training is for construction professionals, your last point of call should be to consider finding a training course that works best for you, or for your employees. Findcourses.com lists a variety of construction training courses which may be able to help. You may want to consider this course as a way to learn new skills, manage new challenges, and build on your site management skills. Find Courses can give you more information on course duration, how much it will cost overall, as well as whether you can complete the course online or in person.

Whether you’re the head of a construction company, or an employee, it’s crucial that you undergo regular training. With new developments happening all the time in the construction industry, being in the know and staying aware of industry changes can help ensure you perform your job correctly and efficiently.

Understandably, health and safety comes first, so knowing how to use equipment, being safe on site, and identifying potential risks and hazards will ensure you are safe and protected at work. There are all sorts of benefits that come with regular training, such as helping with the recruitment process, boosting productivity, improving risk management, as well as reducing the skills gap. One slight mistake can result in the loss of life, so with the construction industry being so high-risk, regular and thorough training is more important than ever.