In construction offices and trailers around the world continuing education is all the rage or all the annoyance. Without a doubt, continuing education is beneficial for younger and/or less experienced construction professionals. Young engineers and foremen benefit most from and often most enjoy continuing education. More experience construction pros often have enough insight and drive to educate themselves. For example, when starting a new project type, working with a new client or contract and moving up into a new role, experience pros know they need to learn to succeed and know what they need to learn. They have enough knowledge and drive to learn about specific disciplines that all but guarantees success. For these people general continuing education can be a little generic or broad. For example, another general safety course, or even a specific course will add little knowledge and value in their role. If, for instance, they were in pre-construction on a project that required diving operations, they would deep dive (pun intended) into diving SOP's and safety standards so that they could safely and cost effectively plan and carry out the operation. Being burdened by general safety continuing education wouldn't likely help them with a diving operation and might actually distract them from important tasks.
Like all good things, continuing education can be good but it can also be bad. There is no one-size fits all solution. Smart leaders will provide smart employees with the right continuing education at the right time to make sure it benefits instead of burdens their teams.
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