Chief Success Officer and SVP
Bentley Systems
When you compare any of the engineering and construction labor statistics from Deloitte, the Associated Builders and Contractors, or AEC Advisors to the workforce requirements of current and future infrastructure needs, the numbers do not add up. There are more projects than people to get the work done, leaving many engineering, architecture, and construction (AEC) firms to turn down projects because of the global shortage of professionals. Unfortunately, as an industry, we are partly to blame for the predicament that we are in.
For the last 30 to 40 years, college was touted as the path to financial and personal freedom in the United States. Younger generations were encouraged to attend university and earn a degree. However, the students that attended universities chose business administration, healthcare, and social sciences as fields of study rather than engineering. During that same period, another cohort did not attend universities for whatever reason. But this same group did not attend vocational or technical training programs either. While enrollment for vocational and technical training programs has grown significantly in recent years, there is still a sizeable labor shortage of skilled tradespeople.
As an industry, we relied on universities to provide architects and engineers. We depended on vocational programs to supply skilled trades, such as masons, welders, and electricians. However, that did not happen. As we face these talent challenges together, we must collectively ask ourselves, “What can we proactively do to solve this problem?”
