The province is investing $212,475 in the Functional Information Technology (FIT) Project led by the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council. The initiative explores how new technology can make information sharing easier.
The federal government is contributing $97,586 in the FIT project through ACOA and the construction industry is investing $215,000.
"This project is really about identifying innovative ways to manage information and human resources," council executive director Trent Soholt explained. "It is helping industry meet the growing demands for safety, productivity, quality and resource management, and we feel this is just the beginning."
On average, foremen and supervisors spend 30 per cent of their time on paperwork. By reducing the time it takes to relay information, through methods such as a virtual plan review, time accounting, material tracking, records management or safety information, more work can be done in areas such as coaching and mentoring workers.
"As a company constantly looking for ways to improve our operations and service to our customers, this project allowed us to explore new technologies, test them on our job sites and determine if they can yield results," said Chris Curtis with Atlantica Mechanical Contractors Inc.
"It removed the guesswork and the risk for us when buying new technologies."
The next phase of FIT will train construction workers how to use the new technologies.
