为了跟上《时代》，国家电气承包商协会（NECA）最近对其学徒培训计划进行了改进，以包括现代项目管理软件，该软件在当今的建筑工地上变得无处不在。

“In our area of the country, electronic documentation is becoming the predominant method of construction, so we want to be sure that our apprentices coming out of the program have all the necessary skills to continue that trend," says Rod Belisle, Director at NECA-IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) Electrical Training Center in Portland, Ore. "We are also offering our new technology-focused curriculum to journeyman who are being incorporated into a crew, handed an iPad and aren't familiar with what that next step is."

NECA's training center currently have a membership of more than 5,000. Under its rules, a five-year apprenticeship program is required to obtain a license, and every worker has to take 24 hours of continuing education classes every three years to maintain that license. It has been 20 years since the training program has undergone such a significant overhaul. One new inclusion is training in PlanGrid, the mobile-based electronic documentation and collaboration platform used on construction sites.

贝利斯说：“自一月以来，我们一直在研究这个概念。”“我们开始将BIM集成到我们的学徒计划中，并将其提供给Jorneymen。一旦将建模软件纳入课堂，感觉下一个自然的事情就是要采用基于纸质蓝图和纸质蓝图和基于纸张的课程的其他部分将它们慢慢过渡到电子文档。”

当被问及改造的催化剂时，贝利斯尔阐述了。“我们关注市场趋势并直接与承包商打交道，其中许多是从事高科技工作的大型承包商。因此，我们调查了NECA成员资格，他们指出我们是Plangrid，这是一个相当标准化的平台，其中许多人正在使用它或者正在考虑使用。然后，我们使用Plangrid与NECA成员进行了交谈，以找出他们的满意度以及该技术是否达到了进入该市场的标志。他们报告说，机组人员很容易在大门上使用。“

“Subcontractors carry a majority of the labor costs in the industry and as the workforce continues to age—nationally, the average age is in the mid-40s—subs in all trades are turning towards technology to bring onboard the next generation of workers," says Tracy Young, CEO of PlanGrid. "Trade organizations like NECA can help construction workers become more competitive in the overall job market by upping their skills with technology that is increasingly used on jobsites."

One large NECA member now using PlanGrid is Bismark, N.D.-based MDU Construction Services Group. With a reported 2017 revenue of $1.35 billion and a nationwide footprint, the contractor reports longer delays in hiring, citing difficulty in finding the right people with the right skills.

“We used to experience labor shortages in just one to two markets, but now we experience it in most markets," says Jeff Thiede, president and CEO of MDU. "We are trying to get the word out about opportunities in the trades. We have had a number of smart people be successful in the trades, but the opportunities provided by trades isn't being broadcast through middle schools and high schools. Many trade programs are college equivalent and don't have student loan at the end. Technology is partly offsetting the reduction in labor availability. The economy is strong, and we have seen some great activity; we have to solve this as a company and as an industry."

“Our new education program is ahead of the curve as far as electrical training and will give our graduates the ability to be competitive in a high-spec environment where there is a lot of modelling," says Belisle. "And it helps bring the electrical industry into the electronic age. I think it will convey to the public that construction is fairly high tech—it's not just hammer and nails anymore. It takes a lot of technology to build a high-rise building, and I think it might bring about a different type of applicant in the future who is interested in modeling and that kind of 3D environment."