In December, the BuiltWorlds Future Workforce Conference engaged a large group of AEC and real estate companies in thinking critically about professional development. Recently, BuiltWorlds launched a monthly Future Workforce Forum to continue the conversation.
The Forum consists of a group of AEC and real estate executives, managers, and human resources professionals as well as university faculty and higher education administrators. The participants are united by their devotion to problem solving the personnel challenges facing the built industry.
The Future Workforce Forum met for the first time last week. BuiltWorlds Network Membership Coordinator, Isabel Singer, led the group through ideation sessions. The participants related their companies’ strengths and pain points to the BuiltWorlds team. Forum members were so enthusiastic about the Forum that they continued to discuss their challenges well after the formal programming had ended.
The BuiltWorlds team is developing in-depth programming to address the workforce challenges that participants brought up during the first meeting. Over the next year, the Future Workforce Forum plans to address a diverse group of issues, including:
- How can companies anticipate tech trends that will disrupt their workforce? What are the best types of training to address these disruptions?
- Which strategies should companies employ to make their workplaces inviting to female and minority workers?
- As baby boomers retire, what are the best ways to ensure companies retain their knowledge?
- How can companies bridge the divide between the field and the office?
- What are the best strategies for recruiting high school and college students to careers in the built industry?
- What role should higher education play in the built industry?
- How can universities close the gap between the skills students learn in school and the skills that companies desire in job applicants?
While the in-person Forum is currently meeting in Chicago, BuiltWorlds plans to offer an online forum soon. By leveraging technology, BuiltWorlds aims to engage built industry professionals from around the world in determining the future of the workforce.
If you are interested in participating in the Future Workforce Forum, please contact Isabel Singer.