It’s time for construction leaders to get serious about technology upskilling
Construction has always been a cautious industry, as jobsite safety and risk mitigation demand predictability and proven processes. But in today’s market, caution alone is no longer a competitive advantage.
As construction technology changes, leaders will have to embrace new ways of doing business. More complex projects, tighter timelines and new AI-driven tools mean construction firms that fail to modernize their teams will fall behind.
Upskilling is no longer a side initiative, but a critical lever for growth, talent retention and project performance. Keep reading to learn how forward-thinking construction firms are moving to better train their teams — and how you can too.
The digital skills gap in construction
Construction lags behind other industries in technology adoption. While sectors like manufacturing invest 3%-5% of annual revenue in technology, construction lags at just 1%-2%.
That tech investment gap has created a parallel digital skills gap that’s widening fast. Based on a survey of 308 construction executives taken for Wipfli’s report on the state of technology in the construction industry, construction firms have significant ground to make up in order to fully modernize their systems and processes.
The report found that:
- 42% of employees at construction firms struggle to use technology effectively.
- 40% of companies don’t know how to integrate different tech systems to bring together databases.
- Only 20% of firms describe upskilling their teams as a top business priority.
In past decades, this might have been no big deal. But as more firms move to embrace new technology like AI in areas like project management, jobsite safety monitoring, error correction and to address labor shortfalls, construction teams without the training to do that will struggle to adapt.
That could result in lost opportunities. Data centers are some of the biggest contracts available right now, but the work requires a degree of technical precision that’s impossible to achieve without an advanced tech base.
Meanwhile, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies now require construction firms to meet cybersecurity maturity model certification (CMMC) requirements in order to so much as bid on contracts.
So, the incentive to acquire stronger digital capabilities exists. What does your company need to do to meet the moment?
Creating a digital training and change management strategy
If you want to make better use of technology and upskill your team, you’re better off doing so via a cohesive, organized approach. Here are some of the keys to succeeding:
- Create an enterprise-level tech strategy: Establish a clear vision for how you plan to improve your digital capacities and training across your entire business. Start by defining the core business problems that a better-equipped and upskilled workforce could solve and create a roadmap to get there.
- Upgrade as much as you can at once: If you upgrade all your major systems simultaneously, you can modernize your equipment and upskill your team in one go, which is typically more efficient than doing so piecemeal over time.
- Focus on communication: Communication is essential to effective change management. As you work to strengthen your team’s digital abilities, you can generate more buy-in by consistently communicating why the change is happening and how it benefits your team members.
- Embrace innovation from the C-suite: If you want your technology growth strategy to succeed, your top leadership needs to champion this change. Top executives don’t need to know all the details of individual tech elements, but they have to be invested in the process from a high level.
- Use technology to boost recruiting and retention: Talented team members often prefer to work for more innovative firms. So, consider upgrading your tech as a tool to hire and retain outstanding people.
- Consult an advisor: This is a lot to tackle on your own, so consider consulting an advisor to help your team develop your technology roadmap and recommend training or upskilling strategies.
Culture is key to building a tech-savvy workforce
A tech-savvy workforce starts with a culture of innovation. And the foundation for this culture is a willingness to ask questions.
This often means looking at legacy processes and systems and asking: “How can we do this better?”
Often, there will be a specific solution you can acquire and train your team to use. But to get to those answers, you need to create a workplace environment that encourages and rewards asking questions.
So, do that. When team members ask questions, praise them for thinking outside the box. Celebrate new solutions to old problems. You can even create innovation committees or working groups to talk about ideas for how you can do things differently to strengthen your business.
And don’t make any parts of your business exempt from scrutiny or new ideas. Shine a light on everything you do and see where that leads.
AI offers additional incentives to upskill
The AI era has come for construction, with 82% of construction executives Wipfli surveyed noting that they have an AI strategy in place. What makes that strategy effective, however, is less about using ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot and more about finding construction-specific AI technologies that advance your core business.
Areas that construction firms are driving forward with AI include work safety, technical precision and real-time error correction, and labor management as a way to navigate shortages.
However, your team can’t effectively use new AI tools without the right knowledge and training. In other words, if you like the idea of a BIM platform combining jobsite camera data with AI analysis to assess project performance live, you need to give your people the capabilities to implement that kind of solution.
Learn more about how technology is changing construction
To gain fresh insights into how technology is changing construction firms and teams, Wipfli interviewed 308 industry leaders for our 2025 report on the state of technology in the construction industry. Sign up now to learn more about how those leaders are tackling AI, cybersecurity, green building and more.
Get the full reportHow Wipfli can help
We help construction firms upgrade technology and upskill teams. Ask us to assess your needs and work with you to implement a roadmap to meet the challenges of today. Learn more here.
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