Workforce training initiatives for megaproject success

The recent trend of mega construction projects has resulted in some major challenges and opportunities for construction management and execution. One of these challenges is in construction workforce renewal and training. With a rapidly aging workforce, the challenge is to attract new workers while simultaneously providing adequate training for the influx of young and sometimes inexperienced people. Client-owners are now recognizing the economic need to implement advanced training on their projects, to improve productivity and minimize losses. With workforces ranging in the thousands, skilled labour has one of the most significant impacts on project outcomes. Alberta has seen a significant increase in workforce training initiatives, particularly since 2000. The objectives of this paper are to provide an overview of the recent advances and initiatives in workforce training in Alberta within the unionized building trades sector of the industrial construction industry and to highlight the economic significance of these initiatives for mega construction projects. The training contributions made by other key organizations are also presented.