b'INDUSTRY ROUNDTABLEBY KELLY PARKERINDUSTRY ROUNDTABLETHE IMPORTANCE OF MENTORSHIP IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRYime marches on, and as years of skill and experience T age out of the industry, the next generation of builders emerges to take their place. For tradespeople, getting the Red Seal isnt the end of their educationits just the beginning, and mentorship is an important part of the process. SICA Construction Review recently spoke to industry DAN CAMPBELL (DC)leaders on the significance of mentorship in construction.Project Manager / Estimator Answers have been edited for length and clarity.Aurora ElectricIN YOUR OPINION, HOW IMPORTANT IS MENTORSHIP TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY?DC:Its so important. People tend to be told to figure things out for themselves, so theyre trying to reinvent the wheel for every cycle or generation of journeypersons coming up, and theres no need for that. If the more seasoned journeypersons can pass on their information, it makes that learning process so much quicker and easier. If newer people can pick up knowledge from their predecessors, they can spend more time KEITH FRANSSON (KF)learning about new and upcoming technologies, instead of Project Manager / Principal having to figure out the basics at the same time. [Mentorship] Urban Systems Ltd. is too often neglected because contractors dont want to spend too much money on education because it cuts into their profit margins. My argument is that if you spend a little bit of money or time mentoring [new workers], theyll learn faster and make fewer mistakes, bringing costs down. A small investment in workers upfront can have huge benefits down the road.KF:I learned a lot of stuff the hard way, and not everybody needs to do that. There are a lot of diverse things we need to think about in construction, and gaining knowledge about all of it helps improve the quality and efficiency of the work and DAVID GERVAIS (DG) reduces stress for [mentees], so they are more likely to stay Sr. Construction in the industry. The ticket is just the beginning of education. Manager / Partner People come in and think they know what theyre doing, but 514 Design Build its just the introduction and base level.40 SOUTHERN INTERIOR CONSTRUCTION ASSOCIATION'