Construction Industry Craft Training

“The team concludes that each dollar invested in craft training can yield $1.30 to $3.00 in benefits.”

Number of factors for training resistance that would lead to a future supply of adequate craft:

1. Reluctance to lose a bid due to added training cost
2. Reluctance to train and then possibly lose trained craft workers to competitors
3. Reluctance to invest in unproven training programs
4. Reluctance to address the general need for training, since craft workers can be attracted from competitors
5. Lack of employee acceptance of formal training programs
6. Lack of ability to quantify the improved productivity and other benefits that can be realized through training

Organizations are not measuring craft training effectively using data they already collect. But the benefits of craft training can be seen in the data of: (RS231-1, p. 6)

• Absenteeism rate: the rate of occurrence of absence from work or duty
• Turnover rate: the rate of the number of craft workers hired by a company/project to replace those who have left voluntarily in a given period of time
• OSHA recordable rate: the rate, per 100 craft workers, of the number of times per year a craft worker received treatment beyond basic first aid for an a occupational injury or illness
• Rework rate: the amount of rework, waste and off-quality product produced during a project or within a company during a given period of time
• Labor productivity rate: the amount of craft hours used to complete a given quantity of work

Survey results indicated that training pays off when the employer/project invests one percent of the total project budget for wages/labor on training under two scenarios: 1) a 24-month capital project and 2) an ongoing maintenance/small capital contract. (RS231-1, pp. 12-13)

The lack of new craft entering the field is a major concern. An attractive business case is needed in order to effectively recruit new workers. (RS231-1, p. 21)

RT-231 found that although difficult to model, a community approach to craft workforce training through partnerships between industrial owners, contractors and their organizations, as opposed to craft who are involved in a single project training effort, would produce significant benefits. By continuously receiving training in this fashion they can achieve maximum performance as well as maximize benefits on other community projects.
 

RS231-1, Training Best Practices Checklists

Checklists have been provided (owner, employer, trainee, and journeyman) to serve multiple purposes but most notably, they help each stakeholder achieve an optimal learning environment for improved project performance (RS231-1, p. 30)