888.695.7084 WESTONFOREST.COM Proud to be selected as the exclusive wood products partner for the Eglinton Crosstown LRT Project Softwood Hardwood Formply Plywood Timbers Bridge Decking FSC & more PATHWAYS can take the form of in-class workshops, e-learning, or a combination of both, called blended learning. The goal is to make it simple for our members: to give clear and concise directions to all stakeholders, be it project managers, field personnel, buyers of construction services, allied professionals, or others. We aim to identify an entry point and build a portfolio of learning based on a clear path to the end result. Integrated into this pathway are Gold Seal accredited courses that will result in faster and more organized accreditation for those who are interested. It is all about building a true PATHWAY forward in our members’ continuous professional develop- ment journey. On the performance front, TCIC has been watching and listening. We know that e-learning is experiencing a significant upward trend in the CPD delivery model. We also know that failing to offer our members varied e-learning options will render our efforts to improve their performance at a lower cost useless. So in the first quarter of 2018, TCIC will launch the first TCIC-developed e-learning course, on project closeouts. The three to four-hour session is made up of four modules and will be hosted on our own learning management system. We believe this inaugural course will place a stake in the ground for the future of e-learning for all TCA members. Throughout 2018, we will follow up with the introduction of more e-learning courses developed by our in-house professionals and authors who deliver best-in-class training. PERSONALAPPROACH While e-learning is a critical piece in an ever-evolving strategy to satisfy the need for higher performance at lower cost, the in-class delivery of courses still remains the backbone and pride of our organization. Our instructors, attracted from the city’s best institutions, private practice and industry-leading global enterprises, collectively have a body of knowledge that no e-learning platform can ever replicate, at least not until artificial intelligence (AI) becomes mainstream and we are all outsmarted. It is in a classroom environment that relationships are formed – only in a classroom can we talk and share ideas on a relationship level. We all know that construction is built on relationships and I’m sure none of us can think of a day where that will change. Although e-mail and texting is trying really hard to take over, there is a reason most of us still go to confer- ences, meet with business colleagues face to face and conduct much of our business in person. Technology is a rational tool, but ultimately business is built on relationships, trust and emotion. It is in the classroom, which represents a safe and secure setting, where we can have those hard discussions. EDUCATION As a result, in 2017 we formalized a new strategy to connect with our members. Not by hosting you at the TCA head office in Richmond Hill, or out in Mississauga; instead, we will come to you in a way that makes it better, faster, easier and simpler. It’s about higher performance at a lower cost: find 15 to 20 people in your organization, or partner with another organiza- tion to meet the quota, and TCA will come to you. Our fully equipped professionals are yours for the day, or for two days or even three. We will offer a flat fee for service and prepare the handout material in advance, sending it to you ahead of the learning session or bringing it with us. Wearesoflexiblethatyoucangiveusatopicthatisofparticular concern to your organization and we will build a customized learningsolutionjustforyourgroup.Whatweareofferingistruly an adaptable solution for the industry by the industry. This represents one more way that TCA is proudly supporting its members. If we want our industry and our businesses to outperform year after year and return to us the fruit of our collective labour, we need to focus on novel new ways of delivering education and knowledge. With TCA’s new PATHWAYS learning program, that’s exactly what we’re doing. Abraham Lincoln would have been proud. |BD DerekSmithisanadjunctlecturerattheTorontoConstructionAssociation. Builders' Digest Quarter 4 2017 | 27