New technology, aligning training with local trends among keys to workforce development

Overcoming a shortage of construction workers will require new approaches by the industry, according to a new NAIOP report.

Key findings include:

— Contractors will increasingly need to adopt new technologies to improve worker productivity.

— The most successful workforce development programs rely on multi-sector collaboration.

— It is important to align workforce development programs with local trends.

— Demonstrating that a job can be part of a long-term career is key to recruitment and retention in the logistics and construction industries.

— The construction and logistics industries need to invest in training and recruiting high school students and recent graduates.

— Investing in ongoing training for current employees ensures that workers have the latest skills and improves worker recruitment and retention.

“Recent trends suggest that the construction and logistics industries cannot rely on the status quo to produce enough qualified workers to meet future demand,” according to a NAIOP news release. “Similarly, current levels of technology adoption are unlikely to result in the worker productivity growth that these industries need to become more profitable.”

New York City has two very large buildings dedicated to answering the 911 calls of its five boroughs. With more than 11 million emergency calls annually, it makes perfect sense. The second of these buildings, the Public Safety Answering Center II (PSAC II) is located on a nine-acre parcel of land in the Bronx. It’s an imposing 450,000 square-foot structure—a 240-foot-wide by 240-foot-tall cube. The gleaming aluminum cube risesthe equivalent of 24 stories from behind a grassy berm, projecting the unlikely impression that it might actually be floating. Like most visually striking structures, the building has drawn as much scorn as it has admiration.