By the Numbers
Assessing MBI Member Training, Professional Development & Workforce Needs
Heather Packard is the Workforce & Professional Development Director for the Modular Building Institute
As part of MBI’s continuing efforts to expand the footprint of the commercial modular construction industry, we launched an intelligence gathering process in mid-September 2023 to collect information on member companies’ challenges and needs with respect to training, professional development, and workforce. The purpose of this process was to identify critical needs to support development of a near- and long-term strategy to address these needs.
Intelligence Gathering Process
The intelligence gathering process included two phases: a qualitative phase consisting of one-on-one conversations with representative member companies and a quantitative phase consisting of a survey instrument distributed to all MBI contacts.
To ensure a representative set of data for the first, qualitative, phase, conversations were held across member company types including manufacturers (5 direct and 3 wholesale), dealers/fleet owners (3), owners/developers (2), contractors/builders (3), design professionals (3), suppliers of services (1), and suppliers of materials (2).
This phase probed challenges member companies are experiencing at an industry-wide, company-specific, and partner-specific level as well as ideas on how MBI could support attracting new entrants to our industry along with training and professional development opportunities for staff.
Visualized results from one question of MBI's Workforce and Professional Development survey from September 2023.
Qualitative Outcomes
Challenges at an industry-wide level uncovered during the qualitative phase included labor – limited supply of skilled tradespeople as well as experienced architects, engineers, and project managers – along with a lack of stakeholder awareness of modular capabilities, including clients, architects, and financial institutions.
Company-specific challenges also included labor – difficulties in attracting tradespeople, backfilling at mid and senior levels, and small talent pools for design, drafting, estimating, and purchasing – along with market supply and demand and finding new areas of growth.
Partner-specific challenges uncovered insufficient production capacity at the manufacturer level and a need for increased awareness and education amongst stakeholders including developers, lenders, building inspectors, general contractors, and clients.
Training and professional development ideas discussed included opportunities to leverage Introduction to Commercial Modular Construction for employee on-boarding and developing training for commercial modular set and install staff, sales staff, project management staff, and market-facing individuals. The one-on-one conversations also uncovered a need for building code-based training and refreshers for MBI member companies, government officials, and financial institutions.
Ideas for attracting new entrants centered on increasing youth awareness of the commercial modular construction industry’s opportunities and advantages over traditional construction. These discussions included potential outreach and engagement opportunities directed towards high-school level groups promoting trades and with vocational technology centers in an effort towards increasing the future talent pipeline for labor and trades. Outreach and engagement with universities offering a construction-related degree was another hallmark of these conversations, with a goal towards increasing university program curriculum focus on modular in the hope that this could lead to better-trained and more well-rounded future designers, architects, engineers, and project managers.
Quantitative Phase
We used a survey instrument for the second, quantitative, phase, which was distributed to all MBI contacts. To date, we have received responses from 68 unique organizations across all MBI membership categories and affiliations, a roughly 12% response rate. The survey instrument addressed the following topics:
- Estimated workforce needs over the next 1-3 years
- Most difficult roles to fill within the past 1-2 years
- Longest time it has taken to fill vacant roles
- Most useful recruiting methods
- Educational topics of interest
- Learning format preferences
Quantitative Outcomes: Estimated Workforce Needs
Current responses to estimated workforce needs across administrative and office professional staff demonstrate a near-term (next 1-3 years) need for the following roles:
Current responses to estimated workforce needs across labor, trades, and delivery staff demonstrate a near-term (next 1-3 years) need for the following roles:
Current responses to estimated workforce needs across safety, compliance, and quality assurance/control staff demonstrate a near-term (next 1-3 years) need for the following roles:
Quantitative Outcomes: Most Difficult Roles to Fill, Longest Time to Fill Vacant Roles, and Most Useful Recruiting Methods
The most difficult roles to fill within the last 1-2 years echoed the small talent pools uncovered in the first, qualitative, phase, and included tradespeople of all types, general and skilled labor, carpenters/framers, drywall finishers, experienced production and plant workers, architects, designers, engineers, and project managers – with experience in modular – as well as drafters, BIM experts/managers, sales professionals, customer service, and estimators.
Responses to the longest time to fill vacant roles further demonstrate the talent shortage our industry is experiencing. Roles for CAD operators and designers, electricians, plumbers, welders, and quality control staff were reported to take greater than 1 year to 2 years to fill.
Members reported word of mouth and referrals from current employees as the most useful recruiting method, followed closely by social media efforts and job boards (typically Indeed for labor and trades). The full list of recruiting methods, their current rankings, and responses to “other, please specify” is below.
Quantitative Outcomes: Topics of Interest and Learning Format Preferences
In terms of learning topics of interest, members reported an interest in regulatory topics including building codes and permitting, best practices in the industry, design and engineering, research and innovation, project scoping, execution and management, planning for growth and expansion, and quality assurance and control. The full list of learning topics of interest and their current rankings is below.
Lastly, members expressed a preference for live webinars, live in-person events, video recordings with slides and transcripts, and self-paced online courses. The full list of learning formats and their current rankings is below.
Make Your Voice Heard
The survey instrument will remain open so that we can continue to collect member needs and preferences and take these into account for further strategy development and execution. Please visit MBI's online survey and make your voice heard!
If you have any questions about the process or have other feedback or suggestions for MBI to consider, please contact Heather Packard, Professional & Workforce Development Director, at heather@modular.org.
More from Modular Advantage
Modern Desert Oasis: Building Reset Hotel the Modular Way
While the off-site construction part of the Reset Hotel project has been carefully controlled and with every necessity close at hand at BECC Modular’s factory in Ontario, Canada, the remote location of the project site has created additional challenges for the on site portion of the build.
Revisiting Yellowstone Canyon Village—a Groundbreaking Modular Construction Feat—Ten Years On
With such a short building period due to impending cold, it made the most sense for park developer Xanterra to pursue modular. Yellowstone’s high visitor traffic also required some odd transportation scheduling, as traffic from the West Yellowstone entrance determined the times when trucks could unload modules. Guerdon was up to the challenge.
Built for Brutal Cold, This Modular Office Building Shines
Houlton, the county seat of Aroostook County, Maine, is a small town with a population of about 6,000 residents. Situated along the border between the U.S. and Canada, what the town is most known for is bitterly cold winters. When the U.S. Border Patrol needed new office space, a modular building approach from Modular Genius offered the perfect solution.
Panel Replacement Adds Years of Life to Navy Vessel
Panel Built, Inc., recently replaced all the wall and roof panels on a two-story US Navy barge deck house that the company had originally installed 30 years ago, giving the vessel new life. Now, the commanding officer of the unit that uses the barge said the difference between the condition and appearance from when the barge left their facility to when the project was complete was beyond his expectations of what was possible.
True Modular Building Seeks to Revolutionize Housing. It’s Next Stop: MBI’s World of Modular Europe
True Modular Building (TMB) specializes in crafting attainable, eco-friendly, and comfortable build-to-rent (BTR) housing with modern designs and customizable features, ensuring that residents feel at home both today and tomorrow.
From Toronto to Suriname: A Global Modular Building Story
When I AM Gold – a Canadian gold mining operation based in Toronto, Ontario – wanted to expand its mining operations in Suriname, it knew it would also need to expand its infrastructure. More specifically, they needed to build a mechanical services compound that would allow their local crews to maintain and equipment critical to their mining operations. They also knew that it would be a challenge.
There Were a “Sea of Challenges” for this Modular, Island Development
Question: Can modular construction be used to build a series of affordable, unique housing buildings, all styled to look like they were built in 1845, on an
island that caters to the wealthy? The answer is, of course, yes, but how the
team at Signature Building Systems and KOH Architecture got there is quite a story.
America’s Construction Economy: A Race Against Time
If the economy has been able to handle higher interest rates thus far, undoubtedly it will be able to manage the lower interest rates to come. But many economists are pointing out that the Federal Reserve may already be too late to the game. While they gradually reduce interest rates, the U.S. economy could quickly decelerate, at least based on theoretical grounds if not on the most recent data releases, culminating in that long-predicted recession. Only time will tell.
Top Five Benefits of Modular Office Space
Modular office spaces are transforming how businesses think about their work environments. These innovative structures offer a mix of flexibility, efficiency, and sustainability, making them a smart choice for companies looking to gain an advantage.
Opportunities for Innovation
The construction industry stands at a crossroads. By embracing the principles of industrialized construction, learning from other industries, and harnessing digital technologies, the modular building industry can tackle its major challenges head-on. This transformation promises a future of increased productivity, improved quality, cost control, and a more sustainable, affordable and resilient built environment.