These techy times
December 11th, 2007 by Rebecca Wasieleski. Posted in Concrete ContractorI recently visited with a contractor who mentioned something to me that I hear from just about every concrete contractor I talk to — one of his challenges is finding employees. He attributes a lot of that to school systems and their lack of providing alternatives to college. He goes on to say, “Construction is always looked at as a dirty job, but today with robotics, computers and modern equipment, jobs require less physical labor and more technical skills and an employee’s use of their intelligence.”
I grew up in the time of computers — all my journalism professors expected me to email them assignments and I typed all my college papers on computers. But it’s very interesting to me to hear stories from people who were in the newspaper and magazine industry 30years ago, even though the idea of typing a 20-page paper on a typewriter sounds like a nightmare.
I’m also interested in hearing from you about how technology has changed the concrete business since you first entered it. What products, techniques and equipment have made your job easier? What concrete-related nightmares do you tell the younger workers on your crew? Do you think technology has allowed concrete contractors to produce a better product?
December 11th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
I’d have to say that the concrete pumps have made the job a lot easier…
December 12th, 2007 at 9:37 am
It seems that our educational system has largely done away with shop class and anything else related to “dirty jobs”. Schools seem to prop up the belief that everyone will graduate and flow naturally into their role as technology guru/manager. Bad move.
However, today’s “wrencher” or technician is far more advanced than in days gone by. (I actually took a 1984 suburban to a mechanic that said, “we don’t deal with carburetion…only fuel injection) Boy, I hadn’t realized that it had been that long since we used such devices!
As the industry continues to generate more tools to improve business processes and streamline work flow, it will only continue to boost the technical skills required by the construction workforce.
The gap remains however that we must get these students into a learning environment where they get dirty for a while while getting educated in the finer workings of the whiz bang equipment.
December 12th, 2007 at 10:48 am
What can the construction industry do to encourage high schoolers to enter the construction industry? Speak with area school boards about the importance of industrial arts classes? Promote construction career days? Have construction business owners speak to students about construction careers?