The rapid advancement of digital technology, the focus on climate-resilient buildings, and the movement toward renewable energy are just a few of the many factors disrupting the skilled trades industry. Workers in fields like facilities management, electrical, engineering, and fire service face the daunting challenge of keeping up with these trends so they can do their jobs effectively in a constantly evolving landscape. If they don’t keep pace with the speed of change, they may find it increasingly difficult to offer competitive services, meet regulatory requirements, or complete core aspects of their roles, such as properly identifying and mitigating safety risks. In light of these potential consequences, trades workers need to engage in cutting-edge trainings and adopt the digital tools that can help them stay ahead of the curve.

At the 2024 NFPA Conference & Expo (C&E), NFPA surveyed over 170 skilled trades workers, including those in facilities management, to assess how they’re using digital tools on the job and within training programs to solve challenges, as well as how transformative trends like the rise in artificial intelligence (AI) are affecting their roles.

Increasing Adoption of Digital Tools

One of the top takeaways is that a higher percentage of workers are using five or more digital tools on a daily basis than was documented in 2023. While digital tools come with their own challenges, many workers are successfully using them to boost efficiency and improve outcomes.

One of the top use cases for facilities managers is to use tools that recommend timely interventions regarding equipment maintenance, preventing small issues from snowballing into bigger or more costly problems. For example, facilities managers may rely on Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled fire suppression systems and applications to receive notifications for regular inspection, testing, and maintenance, and record results for future reference. These digital tools can help facilities meet requirements and alert management to problems in a timely manner. In the future, we may see various facilities management systems become integrated with safety or learning management systems for even smarter predictions and recommendations.

However, digital tools aren’t just being used in the field. Nearly 100% of respondents agreed that digital learning methods can make training easier, less time-intensive, and more streamlined. Considering that the majority (85%) of respondents participate in at least one NFPA training program a year, using digital learning methods to train the skilled workforce is highly impactful.

For instance, employers can provide workers with flexible formats, like live and on-demand virtual trainings, or incorporate digital technologies to improve interaction and results through immersive simulations. Leveraging technologies like virtual or augmented reality also adds an additional level of fidelity—enabling learners to interact with real-world scenarios, make decisions, and test their competencies in a low-stakes medium that directly translates to what they’ll be faced with on real jobsites. Digital tools can also help employers overcome barriers associated with training their workforce, such as a lack of time, lack of access to qualified instructors, difficulty vetting development programs, and more.

The Impact of Labor and AI Trends

The survey also uncovered how the skilled labor gap in the trades, caused by factors like an aging workforce and increasing demand, has impacted work. Over one-third of respondents reported that the labor shortage has negatively impacted the amount of time and money they are able to devote to recruitment and retention efforts, slowing their ability to close these gaps. Further, 19% noted the shortages have resulted in them having less time to pursue career advancement opportunities through trainings or certifications. However, on a brighter note, 25% believe that digital tools like AI can be used to help workers streamline tasks to combat these workforce challenges.

This illustrates that trades workers and organizations are starting to leverage AI-powered solutions to simplify menial tasks to save time. For facilities managers, this could include using generative AI to index a complex document, such as a safety program, so they can more easily engage in plain language inquiries. Other respondents noted the use of AI as a “personal assistant” in the field, offering hyper-personalized and on-the-go learning. Lastly, a small percentage are using AI to enhance learning and development initiatives.

Yet not everyone is firmly on board the AI train—nearly half of respondents are not currently leveraging AI in their day-to-day work or are skeptical of it, and 8% believe it will not benefit the fire and life safety field at all.

This skepticism is likely rooted, at least in part, in the reality that the skilled trades will always require manual work and humans at the center. Just because workers can offload certain tasks to AI doesn’t mean they no longer need these core competencies. As more trades workers embrace AI, training programs will play a pivotal role in ensuring workers still learn and retain the foundational skills and domain knowledge they need to do their jobs manually. In the current state of AI, skilled workers still need to understand the rationale and requirements behind a task, and be competent enough to review and recognize mistakes or AI hallucinations. They can lean on tools like AI as support, not a crutch.

Takeaways for Facilities Managers

There’s abundant potential for trades workers, including facilities managers, to incorporate more digital tools and trainings into their workflows as they navigate the transformation underway in the skilled trades. As we look to the future, workers’ ability to identify the right digital tools for any given job will likely differentiate the good facilities managers from the greats. Training programs will help workers achieve this by training skilled workers to use digital tools, including AI-powered solutions, in their fields. Further, digital tools and technology-focused trainings will be the key to unlocking productivity and helping facilities managers understand the “why” behind the tasks that they and their contractors take on, as well as the requirements they strive to meet. This will allow them to handle more complex systems and scenarios and improve their performance for building life safety, fire protection, and electrical safety.

Bartholomew Jae is the director of education and development at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA).

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