Addressing the Lifelong Learning Needs of Construction Professionals Using Technology Facilitated Learning

The construction industry is one of the key drivers of any economy. Continuing professional development (CPD) and life-long learning are vital to both individual and organizational success. This need has been recognized by both the construction industry and higher education. In higher education changes that can be identified are the need to become more flexible in the delivery of lifelong learning opportunities to meet the requirements of construction professionals and the need to integrate e-learning technology in the delivery of these programmes. Given the work and personal demands of busy construction professionals, accessing CPD opportunities is often difficult. The development of e-learning content and e-learning programmes, together with the challenges in accommodating different learning styles, can be a resource intensive exercise for higher education. Many initiatives in the development of e-learning fall into the trap of "one size fits all" approach, which fails to recognize individuals have different learning styles. The deployment and integration of technology facilitated learning presents staff with a number of new challenges including, acquiring new skills and changing the way instruction must be delivered. A blended learning programme has been developed in Ireland in an attempt to address the CPD needs of Irish construction professionals. This initiative attempts to strike a balance between the considerable resources required in the development of an e-learning initiative, while addressing staff concerns in integrating technology in the delivery of programmes. How this initiative addresses these challenges are outlined and the experiences to date are highlighted