Today, we will discuss the challenges and issues faced by BIM training and development for in-service personnel in China. In the domestic construction industry, there are two main ways to acquire BIM talent: one is by hiring new employees with BIM skills to meet the company’s needs, and the other is by enhancing the BIM knowledge, technology, and abilities of current employees. However, many companies tend to view hiring new employees as a secondary option, often overlooking the significant benefits BIM can bring.
1. On-the-job education and training through short-term courses
Currently, available courses can be broadly categorized into software learning—such as functional training and certification for commercial software—and applied software knowledge, including design application, production and construction drawings, interface integration, and practical experience improvement (like BIM project manager or BIM project director training).
However, this model presents several challenges: high costs, lengthy learning periods, weak learning constraints leading to limited effectiveness, inability to apply learning immediately on the job, difficulty in evaluating the costs invested versus future benefits, and significant variation in course quality across the market.
Company management faces multiple challenges in this context, including selecting the right employees for training, determining the appropriate investment in training resources, choosing suitable courses and providers, assessing the return on investment, and effectively enhancing the company’s BIM competitiveness through employee development.
2. Training provided by software vendors or professional consultants alongside software purchases
Because this training is often bundled with software purchases, the focus tends to be on software instruction. While some courses combine theoretical knowledge with practical projects, they generally emphasize teaching software functions. The main issues here include short training durations, difficulty in integrating learned skills directly into work, instructors’ limited practical engineering experience, a gap between introductory content and real-world requirements, and a lack of flexibility in course content or instructor customization.
In this scenario, company management must grapple with evaluating training effectiveness, ensuring employees quickly benefit from software acquisition, and leveraging training to boost the company’s BIM capabilities.
3. Lecture-style training conducted internally by experts or externally hired specialists
This approach is often adopted by companies new to BIM applications or those with a solid BIM foundation. It usually involves segmented lectures and discussions focused on specific topics, knowledge areas, techniques, or problem-solving to deepen BIM expertise.
However, this model faces challenges such as frequent changes in participants, making it difficult to build a cumulative knowledge base; short training durations that limit effectiveness; potential inconsistencies in course scheduling and participant continuity; and a non-intensive format that may reduce the overall impact.
Management challenges here include assessing current employees’ knowledge gaps, finding qualified instructors, deciding on investment levels, and evaluating the costs and benefits of training.
That concludes our overview of the challenges faced by BIM training and development for in-service personnel in China. I hope this article provides valuable insights for everyone!
Must log in before commenting!
Sign Up