Topcon Positioning GB, one of the country’s leading providers of construction technology, has joined forces with Digital Construction Skills (DCS), who have been awarded funding from the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Innovate UK, to help provide the skills and knowledge needed to ensure the industry is fit for the future.
Topcon has become an Expert Partner for the construction skills and training consultancy, DCS, to offer its expertise and technology, especially around machine control systems, to tackle the industry’s looming skills gap and to help accelerate recovery in the wake of the global health crisis. The technology provider will offer online training sessions, digital demonstrations and on-hand experts for those accessing DCS support, all fully funded by CITB.
Gail McEwan, operations manager at DCS with over ten years’ experience as a civil engineer, said: “There’s so much talk about digital, and so many solutions on the market, which is fantastic, but that can also mean it’s quite daunting for contractors to make a decision on what’s best for their projects and their teams.
“Now more than ever it’s important there’s a focus on skills as we will need to work hard to help our industry recover, and digital tools will be critical in aiding that process.”
In a separate supporting project, the DCS Resilience in Construction tool is being funded by Innovate UK to help the consultancy collaborate with various Expert and Industry Partners to provide knowledge and training through its Digital Transformation through Leadership (DTL) project. The project’s aim is to be the catalyst for digital adoption in the industry through facilitating invaluable opportunities for collaboration and sharing best practice, technology and processes.
Gail, who will be getting hands-on for those looking for machine control training alongside Topcon’s experts and leading CITB-assured courses on the topic, said: “We’re growing our Expert and Industry Partner networks, and we’re delighted to have Topcon join us as an Expert Partner to help us educate the industry on best practice with machine control systems and other construction and positioning tools – critical innovations that can drastically improve productivity and help guard the industry against the looming skills gap.”
With a primary focus on machine control solutions, Topcon will be providing more information and training on its latest innovation, the X-53x Automatic Excavator, that is simplifying grading and improving accuracy to the millimetre.
Peter Roberts, technical support and training manager at Topcon Positioning GB, said: “At Topcon, we’re seeing the difference that digital technologies are making on sites, but we’re also seeing a reluctance from some companies in embracing them. For us, supporting the DTL programme is part of how we’re trying to help people overcome their fear of technology by making it simple to understand and by showing them the tangible benefits that adoption can bring.
“The UK is behind some parts of Europe in the uptake of digital technologies in the construction industry and we need to approach it from both ends of the spectrum – the eager student and those experienced and comfortable with older more time-consuming and less accurate workflows. It’s our hope that, together with other Expert and Industry partners, we have the skillset and passion to drive this through.”
Dave Bennett, managing director of Topcon Positioning Great Britain, said: “The DTL project is a fantastic initiative that will drive the digital agenda through collaboration and knowledge sharing, starting with an informative video from our applications engineer, Andy Clifton, on digital transformation within construction. The benefits of this approach could be revolutionary and critical to accelerating the industry’s recovery. At Topcon, we offer a range of solutions for every type of construction project, however complex, that streamline workflows from design to completion. We aim to always be one step ahead of the industry to help address the challenges of tomorrow today, and we’re excited to be able to work with the DTL Industry Partners to help them futureproof their businesses and reap the benefits of digital.”
