The Construction Industry does a poor job of training people to move up the ranks. 50 years ago, the fellow with the most self motivation would reach out, on his own, to learn the helpful skills to move into supervision or management. He’d watch how his bosses acted and start acting that way. So many things have changed in the past 50 years, but training in construction hasn’t kept pace.

Certainly some firms do a good job of spotting potential construction supervisors and developing training that helps them realize their potential. From what I’ve seen, though, few firms actually do this. Most of the efforts in construction seem to be focused on getting today’s work done. Any extra available time goes into a bit of planning for tomorrow’s work.

Rather than moaning about this odd lack of construction supervision training, though, you should see it as an opportunity. If you have the desire and the will to learn, you can develop your skill set substantially. You can make yourself more valuable and get paid better. You may have to change companies to get paid what you deserve, which seems to be one of the reasons construction firms avoid training. I’ve often heard the old saw, “Why bother to train them, as soon as they get a chance to make $1/hour more, they will jump ship and we’ve wasted our time and effort.”

My advice to you. Train Yourself! Start by understanding that your career (and your income) depend on what you do more than on what your company does. Develop a plan for learning the valuable skills that will make you worth more. Don’t expect your employer to be looking after your best interests…take that job on yourself.