Continuing Education for Construction Professionals: Summary of a Symposium (1994)

Mark Grammer¹

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Within the construction industry the only real constant is change. New technologies, methods, and materials demand currency among construction professionals. Global markets have opened worldwide competition among nations and knowledge is the common coin of the realm. An explosion in environmental remediation projects with advanced cleanup technologies and potential for personal liability by professionals has heightened our awareness of the need for continuing education. Management philosophies such as Total Quality Management demand continuous improvement in all our business processes both in the private and public sectors and continuing education is one of the essentials. The computer age has ushered in an era of built-in obsolescence. The work force must adapt or perish. The public sector is being asked to do more with less and the only way to do that is to work smarter. In the midst of all this culture change, the manager is being challenged to spend his education, training, and development money wisely to maximize the return on the dollar.

The Federal Construction Council Task Group on Continuing Education for Construction Professionals has assembled a group of leaders and experts to provide their views and provoke some thought about where we are going and maybe where we should not go in the continuing education arena. Our speakers represent Federal agencies, professional associations, and academia and I believe both you and I will be enlightened and stimulated by what they have to say.