How to Select an LMS for Construction

Construction is facing a labor shortage—and it isn’t the only industry affected. A shortfall of skilled workers is impacting businesses across the AEC industries, and elearning is a critical piece of the solution.

As an industry, construction has been slower to embrace digital transformation. While digitization presents its own challenges, many digital tools are not designed with the unique needs of the construction industry in mind—and a tool that doesn’t fit its users’ context can quickly become a stumbling block.

The hurdles to training in the construction industry are varied. Learning often happens on the job and in the field. In many cases, it incorporates multiple layers of specialized information: safety procedures, regulatory compliance, or even customized project-specific processes. Documentation of classes and certifications is also crucial.

The right LMS for a construction business doesn’t just provide good information—it meets employees where they need it most. When evaluating elearning options, consider these four key features:

1. Flexible, Personalized Learning Paths

One of the biggest challenges to effective training in any industry, particularly in construction, is time. It can be difficult to allocate hours for quality learning, especially when rising demand creates more pressing work.

Construction employees often need to leave the field for training, separating them from the tools and situations where the training is most applicable. Many workers also already have experience with the subject matter and risk retreading material they already know.

Skill assessments and personalized learning paths allow workers to focus on the content they need, avoiding unnecessary repetition. Shorter, targeted lessons improve retention, and the ability to access course content from anywhere enables workers to apply what they’ve learned immediately, reinforcing the information.

This flexibility also streamlines hiring and onboarding, which are high-priority tasks during a skilled labor shortage. Skill assessments provide a straightforward way to identify talented new hires and customize their onboarding and initial training to help them get up to speed quickly.

2. Relevant and Up-to-Date Content Libraries

The construction technology ecosystem is becoming increasingly sophisticated, requiring both new hires and current workers to stay updated on the latest developments. This applies to every level of the construction process, whether managing a project in Procore, modeling a building in Revit, or designing components in SolidWorks.

A construction-oriented LMS should offer relevant content libraries that are regularly updated to reflect the latest software versions and industry standards. Customization of course libraries is also important to match company-specific use cases and policies.

3. Documentation and User History

With health and safety at stake, the construction industry is heavily regulated. Compliance often requires regular recertification or training, updated materials when regulations change, and retaining proof of completed courses or certifications.

A suitable LMS should track and provide historical user data, detailing which users have completed specific courses and when. It should also store and retrieve certifications for easy access. Collecting this training data ensures compliance with regulatory obligations.

Additionally, user data offers insights into the workforce, helping identify skill gaps and guiding targeted training or hiring initiatives. It also highlights which LMS resources are most utilized, enabling focused improvements in high-demand areas such as certification courses, safety training, or reference materials.

4. A Repository for Institutional Knowledge

Construction often involves specialized knowledge that resides solely in employees’ minds. This can create bottlenecks when others need access to that expertise or significant disruptions if the employee leaves the organization.

A robust LMS serves as a repository for institutional knowledge, making it accessible to all employees, both current and future. Centralizing this information improves operational efficiency and reduces interruptions for the expert employees who would otherwise need to provide it.

An LMS can also be used to establish standard operating procedures and workflows, providing workers with a reference for complex processes whenever and wherever needed.

Pinnacle Series: A Construction LMS Built for the Industry

Pinnacle Series is specifically designed to meet the needs of the AEC industries. In an environment where skilled workers are hard to find, KnowledgeSmart skill assessments help identify talent to grow businesses. The course libraries cover top construction software titles in depth, and the content and workflows can be customized to meet specific training needs.

To learn more about how Pinnacle Series enhances e-learning in the construction industry or to request a demonstration of the software, contact Microsol Resources today at info@microsolresources.com