Like any other part of the training and skills sector, the construction industry depends upon the reliable and effective training of well qualified and competent individuals. Training is rigorous and comprehensive, because if a builder gets it wrong, the consequences can be catastrophic. At Unitec, in Auckland, New Zealand, they train construction workers in all the trades, but there seems to be a particular demand for skilled carpenters in the Land of the Long White Cloud. You see, almost every house in New Zealand is constructed predominantly of wood.
The construction training team Unitec (pictured) are particularly savvy and ahead of the field when it comes to the application of learning technology. During a break in the proceedings at the ICELF event I had the privilege of being shown around their training compound where Unitec delivers its Certificate in Applied Technology (Carpentry). What I saw impressed me.
The Smart Shed is one of the centre pieces of Unitec's technological advance. Situated at the edge of the construction zone, the smart shed looks like any other wooden shed, but inside it is bristling with digital technology. It has full wifi connectivity and web enabled desktop personal computers within. A roller blind on the outside of the shed is pulled up to reveal a multi-gesture interactive whiteboard and short-throw projector. Using these tools, on site demonstrations and interactive learning sessions can be conducted, a few footsteps away from the construction training site.
But it is the QR tag system that is perhaps the most radical departure from traditional on-site construction training. On many of the working surfaces of the houses under construction on site (every one is sold before it is started and later transported on completion to its final destination), QR tags are stapled to the walls. At the appropriate point in their training, holding up their smart phones, students capture the appropriate QR image, which takes them directly to relevant websites that explain building techniques, safety procedures or specialist tool use.
In conversation with the lecturers who instigated this scheme, I asked how long it would take for the construction industry to adopt such leading edge practices for on the job training. 'We don't think it will be long', they replied. 'As soon as these students are qualified, they will be working in the construction industry', they explained. 'It is only a matter of time before they become lead builders, and eventually business owners within the industry. Then they will introduce similar technology supported training for their employees on site'.
Application of new technology that supports learning within authentic contexts. This is situated learning at its best, but is it the future of construction training?
Building the future by Steve Wheeler is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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