In the fast-paced AEC industry, the phrase “we don’t have time for training” echoes through teams as projects pile up and deadlines loom.
It’s an understandable sentiment—every hour spent in training seems like an hour taken away from project work. But this common perception misses a crucial reality: proper training doesn’t steal time from projects; it actually gives time back.
The data speaks for itself: AEC firms that invest in comprehensive training programs reduce their project life cycles by approximately 25%. This isn’t just a minor efficiency boost—it’s a game-changing advantage in an industry where time equals money and competitive edge.
The Time Paradox of AEC Training
The architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing industries are in constant evolution. Software updates, new hardware, evolving best practices and changing standards create an environment where staying current isn’t optional—it’s essential for survival.
When teams lack proper training, they often resort to what seems like the time-saving approach: sticking with outdated methods they already understand or attempting to learn new systems through trial and error. Both strategies ultimately backfire.
“People are one day a little bit behind, and the next day, they’re more behind,” as one industry expert describes it. “Look at it in a year or two, you’re very behind the industry.” In an ever-evolving field like AEC, falling behind the latest updates isn’t just inefficient—it directly impacts your ability to win bids and complete projects on time.
The Cumulative Cost of Untrained Teams
Without proper training, the costs accumulate in ways that aren’t always immediately visible:
Team members spend valuable time asking colleagues for help, effectively doubling the time spent on tasks. Projects stall while waiting for expertise. Collaboration becomes difficult when team members operate at different technical levels. And perhaps most costly: the rework that results from errors made during the “figuring it out” phase.
These inefficiencies don’t just affect single tasks—they cascade throughout projects, creating delays that compound over time.
Why Traditional Training Approaches Fall Short
Many firms recognize the need for training but implement it ineffectively. The common two-day intensive training session—where teams are pulled away from projects for marathon learning sessions—often creates more problems than it solves.
Research consistently shows that humans cannot effectively absorb and retain information delivered in such concentrated, drawn-out formats. Moreover, these one-size-fits-all approaches fail to address the reality that team members have varying experience levels and diverse skills gaps.
The result? You’ve now spent time away from projects without gaining the intended benefits. Team members retain only a fraction of what they learned, and they’re soon back to asking questions or developing workarounds.
The Skills Gap Assessment Advantage
A more effective approach starts with understanding exactly what each team member needs to learn—and equally important, what they already know.
Skills gap assessments identify the specific areas where training is needed, allowing for customized learning paths that make training both faster and more effective. Instead of sitting through material they’ve already mastered, team members focus exclusively on their knowledge gaps.
This targeted approach yields multiple benefits: training time is reduced, retention improves dramatically (since learners aren’t tuning out irrelevant material), and team members develop exactly the skills needed for their specific project roles.
Technology Adoption: The New Competitive Edge
“Technology adoption really is the name of the game in AEC right now,” as industry leaders recognize. With each new software release or technological advancement, there’s an opportunity to gain efficiency—but only if your team can quickly master and implement these tools.
Structured training that’s updated “in lockstep with the latest tech” ensures your investment in technology actually delivers its promised returns. Rather than the typical six-month learning curve that comes with the “figure it out as you go” approach, proper training can reduce the mastery timeline to mere weeks.
This acceleration is further enhanced when training incorporates company-specific workflows and project requirements. While about 80% of AEC training needs are universal (covering industry-standard software and best practices), that critical remaining 20% must be tailored to your firm’s specific processes and projects.
The Micro-Learning Revolution
One of the most significant advancements in AEC training is the shift to micro-learning approaches. Rather than marathon sessions, training is delivered in 15-minute bite-sized chunks that dramatically improve retention and engagement.
This approach recognizes the reality of busy professionals’ schedules and aligns with how people actually learn and retain information. When combined with on-the-job training tools like software plugins that provide guidance within the programs themselves, learning becomes integrated into the workflow rather than competing with it.
For example, predictive plugins can offer tips and information as team members work within software, allowing them to learn while accomplishing actual project tasks. This “train as you go” approach eliminates the false dichotomy between training time and project time.
Building Team Confidence and Decision Speed
Beyond the technical skills acquired, proper training delivers another crucial benefit: confidence. When team members are confident in their mastery of tools and processes, they make decisions faster and with greater accuracy.
This confidence factor cascades through projects as team members no longer need to constantly check their work, second-guess decisions, or pull colleagues away from their tasks to answer questions. The result is a more self-sufficient team that moves projects forward with greater momentum.
Additionally, when everyone operates at a similar skill level with shared understanding of processes and tools, collaboration becomes seamless. This is particularly important in the AEC industry, where projects require coordination across multiple disciplines and teams.
Measuring the ROI of Training
For firms considering a more structured approach to training, measuring return on investment is essential. While specific metrics may vary based on a company’s unique goals, several indicators consistently demonstrate training’s value:
Engagement metrics show how actively team members participate in training. Completion rates and assessment scores reveal knowledge acquisition. Project efficiency metrics compare timelines before and after training implementation. And perhaps most convincingly: error rates and rework requirements typically show marked improvement following effective training programs.
The most compelling metric, however, is often project lifecycle reduction. When teams consistently complete projects 25% faster after training implementation, the business case becomes clear.
Future-Proofing Your Team
As the AEC industry continues to evolve, the importance of continuous training will only increase. The integration of artificial intelligence into software, hardware and project management tools represents just one example of how technological advancement is accelerating.
“Big industry changes like that are things that you either need to learn or you’re going to be falling way behind very quickly,” as experts note. Training is no longer just about maintaining current skills—it’s about preparing for a rapidly changing future.
Firms that embrace training as a strategic advantage rather than a necessary inconvenience will be better positioned to adapt to these changes. Those that maintain the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mentality will find themselves increasingly unable to compete, collaborate effectively or maintain profitability.
Making the Shift
For firms ready to transition from seeing training as a time cost to recognizing it as a time investment, skills gap assessments offer an excellent starting point. These assessments provide immediate visibility into training needs while demonstrating to team members how the targeted approach will minimize their time away from projects.
Support from training providers through dedicated customer success teams can also help ease this transition, providing the data and insights needed to demonstrate value to leadership and team members alike.
The question is no longer whether your AEC firm can afford to invest time in training, but whether it can afford not to. As project timelines shorten, technology advances and competition intensifies, effective training doesn’t just save time—it creates the foundation for sustainable success.
Training isn’t time taken away from projects. It’s time invested in making every project more successful, more profitable and more efficiently delivered. The math is simple: spend a little time training today, save a lot of project time tomorrow.
About Global eTraining
Architecture, engineering, construction and manufacturing firms worldwide use Global eTraining to create and share custom workflows, build technical skills and elevate efficiency and technology adoption.
With the AEC industry’s largest online training library, a project-specific course builder, AI-powered course creation and data and analytics to maximize your team’s ROI – this is the most effective training solution for the most effective teams.
Book a one-on-one meeting with an eTraining Strategist today to discuss your team’s talent attraction, onboarding and retention needs, and how Global eTraining can help solve them.