TECHNOLOGY REPORT
Keeping
training programs alive
When the pandemic forced contractors to abruptly cancel in-class training, contractors found innovative ways to keep learners up to date.
PHOTO © BY APINAN / ADOBE STOCK
BY JACOB STOLLER
I
n February 2020, PCL Construction was winding down one of its largest software rollouts in 20 years. Learning materials were finalized, district champions were trained using real-life scenarios, and in-class training was soon to commence in districts across North America. “Then the pandemic hit, and the question was ‘nobody’s doing in-class training
right now, so what can we do instead?’” says NIkki Stalker, team lead, Solution Delivery, PCL Construction. Training users is more challenging in construction than most other industries because given the variability of jobsites and regions, a cookie-cutter approach rarely works. Consequently, training programs must be relevant in a wide
variety of situations. “Every project is unique and how each of our districts construct them is as well,” says Stalker, “so our software has to accommodate a lot of different project management styles and contractual obligations.” Fortunately, PCL’s new release had been piloted in the districts prior to the pandemic, and the district champions had been trained. The insights gained during this process enabled the company to add content to the course materials that explained the business processes that the software was supporting. “We repackaged the information we on-sitemag.com / 25
