By Dave Matheson, Learning and Development Director
Ames Academy held its first two-day workshop in August at the US69 Express Project Office in Overland Park, Kansas. The 14 participants included foremen, project engineers, superintendents, and project managers from several Ames projects. The workshop's core business modules, including many led by Ames team members, included:
- Communication and Accountability
- Environmental Health and Safety
- Quality
- Financial Management
- Scheduling
- Planning and Execution
- Subcontractors and Vendors
This session was the first of four two-day workshops set for 2023. The next workshop will be Sept. 21-22 in Denver, Colorado, with facilitators and participants from the Rocky Mountain and Western Regions. The third and fourth workshops planned for this year will be in Burnsville, Minnesota, for Renewables and the Midwest Region, and in Scottsdale, Arizona, for the Southwest Region. In addition to the topics from the first workshop, these workshops will include modules in project administration and clients.
Topics and modules were crafted from the “Skills Gap” workshops previously held in each region. Additional content and learning modules will be developed this year and in 2024 by Ames team members. Future learning modules will include “how-to” technical modules as well as additional topics that cover all aspects of our business, such as basic estimating, contracts, and compliance.
This continued content development will expand learning opportunities and availability at project, region, and company-wide levels to meet the goal of providing development opportunities and learning materials that are accessible and available company-wide. Future workshops and events will be held at project sites and will also include events that bring team members from all regions together to learn, network, and build relationships with each other.
It has been exciting to witness the enthusiasm and interest in Ames Academy and the material shared among Ames team members. Thank you to the Ames Academy Steering Committee, Ames Chief Administrative Officer Brent Wilber, content creators, workshop facilitators, and participants. Through your hard work and commitment, we are building a foundation for learning and development that will allow all Ames employees to flourish.