Construction Magazine February 2018 | Page 68

AECON GROUP

Digitalisation is inevitable . IT is improving all the time across all industries , and while some are trapped in legacy systems and oldfashioned ways of thinking , no sector is exempt from the march of progress .

Construction can often be one such sector where digitalisation is a little slower or more limited , but Aecon is aiming to buck the trend by making its business more high-tech and user-friendly .
The success Aecon enjoys in this area is partly due to the way it treats customers , employees , and the inclusion of forward thinking , talented staff , such as its Director of IT Adam Templeton . Templeton joined Aecon straight out of higher education seven years ago , beginning in Client Services and working his way up to his leadership role – a chance afforded to him by virtue of Aecon ’ s dedication to staff enrichment .
“ Aecon has programs in place to retain talent ,” he explains – the business has an integrated development program under the banner Aecon University . “ It allows employees to decide what type of development and growth opportunities they ’ d like to achieve , and the company will work with you to get there . I was part of a new Aecontailored leadership cohort entitled the Future Leaders Program .”
Templeton says this educational experience enables employees to develop a better understanding of the business , the sector , and the particular subject on which they wish to focus .
“ At the time it was invaluable . Gaining experience from different business units allowed me to understand what their challenges and pain points were . I was then able to bring that knowledge back to the technology group and drive real change in IT , providing tremendous value to the business .”
As a result of Aecon ’ s investment into the care of its employees , it enjoys a very low turnover of staff , and regularly analyses skills gaps to work out what the business needs more of .
One requirement that never changes is
68 February 2018