Learning and development (L&D) initiatives for skilled trades workers are becoming increasingly technology-focused, reflecting the larger digital transformation underway in the trades. While occupations within construction, fire and life safety, electrical, and other domains will always require hands-on labor, digitalization has fundamentally changed how workers approach their tasks. This shift was illustrated in a recent NFPA survey of over 170 industry professionals which found that more workers are using five or more digital tools daily than last year, building upon previous NFPA surveys that demonstrated workers’ high appetite for technology integration to solve challenges.

Amid this increasing digitalization of the trades, innovative ways of teaching and learning are necessary to help workers stay relevant and satisfied in their fields and keep up with the pace of disruption. After all, L&D efforts are designed to prepare workers for what they’ll realistically face on the job, so as digital technology is thoroughly integrated in all aspects of performing trades, this should be mirrored in training programs.

Using Technology to Deliver L&D Programs 

The majority of skilled trades workers crave opportunities to grow in their careers. Incredibly, today’s workforce spans as many as six generations at once, from octogenarians to Generation Alpha, so employers need to deliver both traditional and digital learning experiences to appeal to the different learning preferences of workers of all ages. These days, offering a combination of in-person/virtual and live/on-demand trainings is non-negotiable to ensure the entire mix of workers can learn in the way that’s most comfortable and convenient for them.

In digital learning experiences, technology is being used to make L&D programs more engaging and interactive. Learning models like gamification, virtual reality (VR), and augmented reality (AR) allow learners to immerse themselves in various simulated scenarios – interacting with elements, making decisions, and testing out new competencies without the high stakes associated with performing these tasks in the real world. For example, an electrician could take advantage of these simulated environments to test skills like wiring electrical circuits, identifying and mitigating hazards, troubleshooting, or gauging systems’ compliance with electrical codes and standards.

Yet it’s not just the participants who “win” when technology is used to deliver training content; it also benefits those offering these programs. Respondents to NFPA’s survey noted digital tools help streamline the process of conducting trainings, make training easier, and save them time while training.

Using L&D to Promote Digital Tools in the Field

For every domain in the skilled trades, there are vast applications for technology. Training programs provide the perfect opportunity to teach workers how and when they may be able to integrate digital tools into their processes. As such, L&D programs will be key in transitioning the trades workforce into increasing its adoption of digital technology by discussing the types of solutions that exist, use cases for different domains, and how digital tools can augment work while preserving the vital human touch.

One subset of digital tools that may be covered in these programs are those that are AI-powered. Yet the NFPA survey found that trades professionals have decidedly mixed feelings about AI in its current state. On one hand, 25% of respondents felt confident that AI will help workers streamline tasks to combat labor shortages, and many are already using it for hyper-personalized and on-the-go learning, menial tasks, and enhancing L&D efforts. However, 47% aren’t yet leveraging AI in their day-to-day work, and a small percentage (8%) believe it won’t benefit the fire and life safety industry at all.

The Outcomes of Tech-Focused L&D 

Most importantly, technology-centric L&D programs will have a resoundingly positive impact on skilled trades projects, including:

• Bolstering the talent pipeline: The trades need to recruit and retain the next generation of workers and embracing technology is going to play a major role in accomplishing this. In fact, 31% of NFPA survey respondents believe AI adoption will help attract younger workers to the trades. Collectively, tech-savvy Gen Z-ers value both technology and career development opportunities, so offering tech-focused training programs hits both of these areas.
• Improving the quality of work: Workers who have been trained using technology like VR, and taught to leverage digital tools, will be better prepared to seamlessly execute projects, even the most cutting-edge assignments. In the NFPA survey, 14% of respondents stated they’ve had to turn down projects due to a lack of qualified labor, so training workers to be more tech-equipped will help address this challenge.
• Increasing efficiency: When trained to use digital tools correctly and with a watchful human eye, workers can often do their jobs faster and more accurately. Digital tools also allow for a more data-driven approach, since technology like AI can help aggregate data and surface actionable insights. Further, digital tools promote greater collaboration and communication between workers, which leads to better project results. This is an important benefit considering 69% of NFPA survey respondents named collaboration as a top challenge in 2024.
• Ensuring safety: Lastly, workers taught to leverage technology will be able to operate more safely, using digital tools to identify and mitigate safety hazards before they escalate. Moreover, when workers use tools like digital codebooks to learn codes and standards requirements relevant to their work, they’ll gain important context behind the recommendations or routines that other digital tools provide. This allows them to think more critically about whether the technology’s guidance is accurate or if further human intervention is needed.

The era of human-machine collaboration to perform trades tasks is here, and digitally enhanced learning is enabling this new reality. Creating more technology-focused L&D programs is a two-fold mission – one that involves using digital platforms and technology like VR and AR to deliver training content, while also ensuring the content itself teaches workers how best to leverage digital tools on the job. While there will always be value in hands-on work and traditional learning experiences, especially for older generations, technology is transforming L&D for the better by making it more accessible, interactive, and reflective of real-world scenarios. In turn, the quality of projects and level of safety on jobsites will also continue to increase.