CREJ - Building Dialogue - March 2015
While much has been discussed about the skilled labor shortage affecting the construction industry, an emerging trend general contractors are facing is finding the next generation of superintendent. As the captain of the construction site, the superintendent is a leader, communicator and motivator who possess hands-on experience and conceptualizes the flow of activities to get work scheduled and built in proper sequence. Several factors are contributing to the industry’s dwindling inventory of experienced and future superintendents, including the aging workforce, talent migration from construction to other industries during the recent recession, and lack of trade schools in today’s K-12 education. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggests that in 2016, one-third of the workforce will be 50 years old or older. By 2020, 25 million baby boomers, who make up more than 40 percent of the U.S. labor force, will retire. Locally, more than 38 percent of construction workers are older than 40; 14.2 percent are more than 50 years old, according to the Colorado Department of Labor Regional Workforce Investments Board. These numbers imply that experienced superintendents soon will leave the workforce, taking with them a complex mix of experience and knowledge. Contractors must implement plans to slow the brain drain that happens when experienced employees retire and the younger generation is not yet equipped to handle jobsite complexities alone. While the drive and innate abilities to become a superintendent remain constant from generation to generation, the process and educational path of current superintendents differs from that of future project leaders. The resume of a 30-year industry veteran likely displays a career path that started as a laborer and gained hands-on experience as a carpenter, foreman and assistant superintendent; perhaps there is an apprenticeship program or an associate’s degree from a trade school. The future superintendent typically has a four-year degree in construction management and is more computer literate and formally educated in managing people and processes while lacking field experience. While neither career path is wrong, it is a shift in resources and experience that contractors must proactively plan for through careful hiring and mentoring. Technologies, such as BIM, have vastly improved the process of construction, but it still takes a “builder” mindset of asuperintendent to complete projects successfully. Exposing this mindset can happen naturally based on individual tendencies. When given the option of helping out with a concrete pour or learning to process submittals, the future superintendent is the first one to help with the pour, while those who aspire to project management veer toward office work. Time spent in the field pouring concrete, performing layout and conducting quality control inspections with a superintendent with teaching instincts exposes the young workforce to daily construction activities. “With many future superintendents coming into the industry with college degrees, we treat on-site learning like a classroom,” said Phil Mills, a Swinerton superintendent with 40 years of experience. “It’s how they are comfortable learning, and when they see us as teachers, they soak up the knowledge like a sponge.” Mentoring is another method that superintendents can pass on their knowledge to others. And mentoring should not be limited to interns and employees starting out in their careers. Existing foremen who demonstrate the motivation to take their careers to the next level are prime candidates for superintendent positions. Mentoring individuals with field experience develops leadership and communication skills, and fosters a great resource of future superintendents. “I see mentoring as an opportunity to give back,” said Kerry Swain, a Swinerton senior superintendent with 35 years of experience. “I enjoy building, but I find myself having more job satisfaction in training the younger workforce to take my place.” By developing a multigenerational workforce, contractors provide a consistent supply of upcoming leaders. But no matter the age, the qualities of a superintendent remain the same: to complete a project with “no surprises” for clients. As the industry continues to face labor shortages and the retirements of accomplished superintendents, it is critical that contractors employ plans to ensure a healthy, knowledgeable pool of site leadership.