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The construction industry has changed dramatically over the last few decades, thanks to the advent of new technologies and the growing demand for safe and sustainable building practices. Whether you’re interested in becoming a carpenter, stonemason, plumber, electrician, contractor, engineer, or architect, you need to develop skills that will help you excel in your career. 

What types of jobs are growing among construction trades, and what can you do to remain competitive within your field? Here’s what professionals entering or progressing in a trade should know to ensure job stability and opportunities for advancement. 

Benefits of Professional Development 

Your skilled trade may require you to complete education, work experience, or both before you can take state exams and obtain a professional license. In many cases, you will also have to complete continuing education regularly to renew and maintain your license. Beyond meeting these legal requirements to work, professional development makes you a more valuable employee. 

Expanding your knowledge and skills makes you more qualified for work and creates new professional opportunities. It can also be a pathway to filling critical skill gaps or job voids where workers are needed.  

When you pursue education and training in new technologies and code enforcement, you can make yourself indispensable to employers. 

New Jobs on the Horizon 

Certain skilled trades are unlikely to fall by the wayside, even with advancements in robotics, AI, and other technologies. But effectively implementing new technologies in the construction industry requires workers with the right knowledge and skills to use them. 

For example, monitoring and tracking systems are only useful if data can be analyzed and acted upon. Upgrading to digital project management tools requires digital foremen who can use them for scheduling, tracking finances, and managing supply chains. 

Introducing robotics technologies requires robotics operators. Using drone technologies for job site tracking, safety, and security means hiring an experienced site technologist. Technologies are meant to enhance the workforce, not replace it, and they require a human element to succeed. 

Ongoing Training and Education 

When it comes to continuing education to renew and maintain your license, you can do the bare minimum. This will vary by trade, license, and state, but it usually entails several hours of coursework per renewal cycle, focusing on updated building codes, safety knowledge, and topics related to industry advances. 

If you want to excel in your field, you can do more, particularly in the realms of new technologies, job site safety, and sustainable initiatives. When you pay attention to trends shaping the construction industry and plan your career development to take advantage of these trends, you have the best opportunity to become what employers don’t even know they need yet. 

Preparing for Career Success 

If you want to move forward in your construction career, upskilling is an effective way to make yourself a more attractive job candidate. To obtain additional licenses, select an exam prep program designed to support working professionals, with 24/7 online access for self-paced learning. 

Contact RocketCert now to learn more about programs for your preferred trade license in your state of residence.