Guide to Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Transportation Infrastructure Construction Inspectors (2023)

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1   Introduction Construction inspectors represent the workforce that ensures the delivery of quality trans- portation infrastructure projects by ascertaining whether the work meets or exceeds contract requirements. Performing quality construction work helps state transportation agencies (STAs) realize the engineered life span of a transportation asset, which provides the best value for STAs and taxpayers. Difficulties in finding, hiring, recruiting, and developing well-trained and experienced construction inspectors are a growing risk to the quality of transportation construc- tion projects. The current challenge of the limited availability of construction inspectors for transportation infrastructure encapsulates the much larger issue of shortages of construction workers across the entire country. The retirement of the generation that built the U.S. interstate system, followed by periods of recession that put pressure on government budgets, reduced the in-house STA workforce. During the same period, STA services expanded as they incorporated more public involvement in project delivery, conducted more comprehensive environmental reviews, and developed multimodal infrastructure, to name a few. The result is that more STA employees today have less experience than their predecessors while managing more complex transportation infrastructure projects. Furthermore, younger generations in the K–12 education system may not view working in construction as a viable career path. The traditional approach to developing construction inspectors includes knowledge and experience gained through on-the-job training (OJT), mentoring, and classroom-based training. However, the viability of this model is diminishing given STAs’ demand for fiscal and human resources and overall workforce shortages. STAs require construction inspectors to be devel- oped faster than in years past, resulting in significantly steeper learning curves. The OJT model remains essential but potentially costly and needs to be augmented with targeted training and development opportunities. STAs can leverage existing training offerings (e.g., AASHTO Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council, National Highway Institute), take advantage of innovative training delivery methods (e.g., online, self-paced), and coordinate with regional and national certification programs (e.g., ACI, the American Concrete Institute). NCHRP Research Report 1027: Guide to Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Transportation Infrastructure Construction Inspectors (the Guide) aims to help STAs and their third-party inspection, training, and certification partners develop and maintain construction inspection training and certification programs responsive to changes affecting transportation construction. The Guide provides information, recommendations, and strategies for those who manage, work with, and train construction inspectors, as well as for construction inspectors themselves. Developing the construction inspection workforce will promote the inspector profession as a desirable career. C H A P T E R 1

2 Guide to Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Transportation Infrastructure Construction Inspectors 1.1 The State of the Construction Inspector Workforce Since the end of the Great Recession, nearly all sectors of the U.S. construction industry have identified significant workforce shortages, training challenges, and the need to attract new and diverse employees. The need for construction inspectors for transportation infrastructure projects is no exception. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment of construction inspectors is projected to increase at a rate 7% faster than other transporta- tion construction careers between 2018 and 2028 (BLS 2021). In fact, many STAs have already observed an increase in the construction inspection and testing workload (Cain et al. 2017). The workload was forecasted to increase after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in November 2021 (Katz 2022). However, STAs have not experienced a sufficient increase in the number of qualified inspec- tion personnel to manage the additional workload, while the experience level of inspectors has declined because of retirements (Jagars-Cohen et al. 2009; Wight et al. 2017). To address the professional development of the construction inspector, STAs and their partners need to under- stand the core competencies, represented by knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), necessary to build the foundation for construction inspector training and education programs. It is also paramount that career paths for construction inspectors are defined, and that upward mobility is more predictable, so that inspectors recognize that construction inspection is a career and not just another job. Employers of construction inspectors need to provide resources for retention and professional development that will lead to career opportunities. Finally, STAs need to maintain institutional knowledge for better succession planning and knowledge transfer. Changes in the transportation construction industry require more dynamic and comprehen- sive construction inspector competencies. The increased implementation of various alternative contracting methods and application of new technologies have broadened the required scope of construction inspector knowledge. These industry changes, coupled with the shifting career goals of potential employees, present challenges to effectively recruiting and developing new talent. Changes in the attitude and desires of the potential workforce have led to challenges in recruiting talent to the construction industry. Attrition and retirements have significantly reduced the depth and breadth of institutional knowledge transferred to entry-level construc- tion inspectors. In response to these challenges, STAs have increasingly relied on third-party consulting firms to obtain construction inspectors, which has created challenges, including Construction Inspector Development Challenges • Loss of institutional knowledge caused by attrition of construction inspectors • Limited or capped amount of STA positions • Difficulty attracting individuals to construction inspection positions • High variability in construction inspector training and certification programs • Limited resources, funding, and time to develop and deliver training programs • Inconsistent inspection practices caused by a lack of operations manuals and procedures • Limited internships, mentoring, and on-the-job learning experiences available • A need to quickly develop construction inspectors in an era of doing more with less • Difficulty mapping education, industry experience, and training needs for construction inspectors • Skill sets for inspectors changing with the use of technologies

Introduction 3 inconsistencies in construction inspector training and certification. Currently, most STAs use consultants for inspections to some degree. Given these changes, defining the core competencies for current and future construction inspectors is critical. The quality of construction is a paramount challenge in ensuring the safe operation of infrastructure for the traveling public and maximizing the benefit of the investment. Although the required level of construction quality is established during the design process through details and specifications then confirmed through quality assurance and testing programs, the stamp of approval of construction quality in the field often falls to construction inspectors. Given the importance of the construction inspector’s role, ensuring construction inspectors possess KSA proficiency and relevant experience to assess construction quality is critical to the transportation sector. In addition to imparting KSAs to early-career construction inspectors, continuing development and construction inspector career paths that promote the retention of construc- tion inspectors are equally important. Retaining quality construction inspectors in long-term employment is fundamental to reestablishing the waning institutional knowledge required to train the next-generation inspection workforce to assess the quality of work and ensure it meets required quality standards (Harper et al. 2018). Knowledge management and consistency in the inspection process have also been impacted by the use of third-party consultant inspection firms. While the focus of this Guide is the development of construction inspectors at transportation agencies, STAs are relying more on the use of third-party consultants to perform inspections. As STAs continue to employ consultants, these third-party inspectors should follow a similar development approach to this Guide to exert consistency in transportation construction inspections. STAs and consultant inspection firms can work together to follow similar developmental paths for transportation construction inspectors. Considering the increased transportation sector workload, scarcity of resources, use of third-party consultants, and construction industry challenges in attracting and retaining employees, workforce development is at the forefront of importance for the U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Labor (ED, DOT, and DOL 2015). The creation and definition of career pathways and the continuous professional development of employees, including construction inspectors, are essential to reestablishing the institutional knowledge that STAs have been losing to retirements and outsourcing. Further- more, research acknowledges that many STAs struggle to maintain technical career paths that reward and support staff development (Warne 2003; Cronin et al. 2012; Cronin et al. 2013). Therefore, the motivation for this Guide lies at the intersection of public safety and the career development of construction inspectors as an integral asset to the transportation infrastruc- ture sector. The Guide can assist STAs and their third-party consultants in selecting, aligning, creating, and tailoring core competency training, education, certification/qualification, and career development to meet construction inspectors’ evolving and expanding needs. 1.2 Guide Development This Guide was created using a two-phase approach. Phase I consisted of gathering current information and data to inform development of the Guide. Information gathering included fielding a survey questionnaire completed by 46 STAs and a survey questionnaire completed by 26 consultant firms, as well as conducting four focus groups and seven interviews, with defined points for NCHRP panel review and feedback (Tasks 1, 2, and 3). Phase II focused on develop- ing the Guide, conducting four vetting sessions with professionals, making final revisions, and developing the final deliverables for the project in accordance with NCHRP panel and industry feedback (Tasks 4, 5, 6, and 7). Complete documentation of the research activities is available in NCHRP Web-Only Document 337.

4 Guide to Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Transportation Infrastructure Construction Inspectors 1.3 How to Use the Guide This Guide has been designed for STAs to either read through page by page or choose specific chapters depending on which aspects of construction inspection development the STA con- siders essential. Implementation and use of the Guide follow five chapters and the associated construction inspector development flowchart shown in Figure 1.1: • Chapter 1 provides an overview of the project and information on using the Guide. • Chapter 2 has information on assessing the need for inspectors, recruiting inspectors, and evaluating candidates for education, experience, and certification. • Chapter  3 covers construction inspection responsibilities, core competencies, associated KSAs, and the alignment of core competencies to inspection responsibilities. • Chapter 4 discusses training and certification for construction inspectors, including different modes and types of training and the certification and recertification processes. • Chapter 5 focuses on retention and career development factors for keeping and developing quality construction inspection employees. Chapters 2, 4, and 5 include metrics for STAs to consider for measuring the career develop- ment of construction inspectors (See Sections 2.6, 4.4, and 5.8). The measures provided are metrics taken from literature as well as interviews with STAs. Each measure includes a definition and an example target STAs can adjust to their operations. These key performance indicators (KPIs) will help STAs measure the effectiveness of existing programs and determine the appro- priate implementation of Guide recommendations. In addition, Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 include a summary at the end of each chapter to collect results, recommendations, and strategies in one place for easy access and use. Furthermore, the reader is encouraged to review the figures and tables throughout the Guide, which provide specific tools and information for STAs to consider implementing in construction inspector development. To assist STAs in using specific content of the Guide, Chapters 2 through 5 represent the four implementation paths shown in Figure 1.1: • Path I: Needs Assessment and Recruitment (Chapter 2) • Path II: Core Competencies and KSA Assessment (Chapter 3) • Path III: Training and Certification (Chapter 4) • Path IV: Retention and Career Development (Chapter 5) The paths outlined in this section can be used individually or combined to use the complete Guide. Which paths the STA will use depends on whether the agency has effective workforce development programs for construction inspectors. STAs are advised to implement all or a portion of the Guide continuously to establish an effective and efficient development process for construction inspectors and continuously improve the process. 1.3.1 Path I: Needs Assessment and Recruitment (Chapter 2) Path I includes two steps. Step 1 is to establish a procedure to identify appropriate staffing levels for transportation construction projects. The process includes determining the number of inspectors needed, how long they will be required, and what KSAs and level of experience candidates need to possess. The decision also includes identifying whether meeting the neces- sary demand requires hiring internal agency or third-party consultant inspectors. An additional resource to consider for this part of Path I is NCHRP Research Report 923: Workforce Optimization Workbook for Transportation Construction Projects (Taylor et al. 2020). This workbook provides tools to assist STAs with determining workforce needs, including for construction inspectors.

Introduction 5 Path I: Needs Assessment and Recruitment (Chapter 2) Path II: Core Competencies and KSA Assessment (Chapter 3) Path III: Training and Certification (Chapter 4) Path IV: Retention and Career Development (Chapter 5) Figure 1.1. Construction inspector development flowchart.

6 Guide to Recruiting, Developing, and Retaining Transportation Infrastructure Construction Inspectors Step 2 is to advertise and recruit potential candidates based on the education, experience, and skill sets required for a construction inspection position. As candidates apply, their education and experience are evaluated to determine whether to hire them and what inspection role they can fill, depending on the competencies needed and the candidate’s associated skills. Additional resources to consider for this step along Path I are • NCHRP Report 693: Attracting, Recruiting, and Retaining Skilled Staff for Transportation System Operations and Management (Cronin et al. 2012). This guide provides STAs with strategies to find and hire qualified professionals. • Tran-SET Region 6 University Transportation Center, Recruiting, Retaining, and Promoting for Careers at Transportation Agencies (Harper et al. 2018). This report provides information on challenges and recommendations for recruiting and retaining quality employees at transpor- tation agencies. If inspectors have been hired, the STA can move to Path II. 1.3.2 Path II: Core Competencies and KSA Assessment (Chapter 3) Path II is an assessment of a construction inspector’s core competencies, to identify any gaps in proficiency the inspector needs to rectify to perform inspection responsibilities. The inspector’s education and experience are evaluated in the assessment against the position’s specific responsibilities and required skill sets. Core competency and responsibility matrices are provided in Section 3.3, which outlines common KSAs an inspector should possess to perform various responsibilities for different inspection position levels. As a starting point, STAs could adapt the matrices for their agency-specific construction inspection positions, as the matrices can help STAs align their needed KSAs with specific inspection duties. An additional resource to consider for Path II is the AASHTO Transportation Curriculum Coordination Council (TC3) Competency Matrix at https://tc3.transportation.org/resources/competency-matrix/. If the assessment determines that an individual needs training, then the next step is to follow the path toward training and certification. Then, once the STA has determined gaps in KSAs for a specific inspector or group of inspectors, the STA can move to Path III. 1.3.3 Path III: Training and Certification (Chapter 4) For Path III, the training type is considered given the available resources. The training can be conducted internally through the STA or construction organizations (e.g., AASHTO TC3, National Highway Institute), trade schools, or college and university programs. Internal training includes STA-delivered classroom and virtual instructor-led training, OJT, self-paced learning, internships, and mentoring programs. STAs need to provide efficient training so that inspectors can quickly gain the necessary skills and be placed into field assignments. Additional resources to consider for this step along Path III are • NCHRP Project 20-68A, Scan 15-01: Developing and Maintaining Construction Inspection Competence (Wight et al. 2017). This document contains essential information from across the United States on training and certification for construction inspectors. • NCHRP Synthesis 362: Training Programs, Processes, Policies, and Practices (Shiplett 2006). This current state of practice report provides information on training a knowledgeable workforce. For either internal or external training, individuals must demonstrate proficiency through a formalized evaluation process, such as exams or field-based performance tests. The inspector is determined to be qualified or certified if adequate proficiency is achieved, depending on the

Introduction 7 STA. However, if proficiency is not achieved (e.g., failing proficiency exams), the individual loops back to the assessment of KSAs and repeats training and certifications/qualifications. If the STA has already determined the training and certification needs for an inspector, then the STA can move to Path IV. 1.3.4 Path IV: Retention and Career Development (Chapter 5) Path IV follows Training and Certification and continues if an inspector meets the criteria for advancement and remains employed by an agency. The STA can also enter this path to apply retention and career development techniques to their construction inspector development pro- cess. A candidate is subject to continuous learning by gaining on-the-job experience, attending continuing education training programs, and obtaining recertifications. This process repeats as necessary for those who continue to grow in their construction inspector careers. Additional resources to consider for Path IV are • NCHRP Report 693: Attracting, Recruiting, and Retaining Skilled Staff for Transportation System Operations and Management (Cronin et al. 2012). This guide provides information for STAs on strategies to retain quality professionals. • Tran-SET Region 6 University Transportation Center Project, Recruiting, Retaining, and Pro- moting for Careers at Transportation Agencies (Harper et al. 2018). This report provides infor- mation on challenges and recommendations for recruiting and retaining quality employees at a transportation agency. • Identify, Train, Place: A Playbook to Build Tomorrow’s Highway Construction Workforce (FHWA 2021). This report provides tools, recommendations, and case studies to help agencies build the future highway workforce. • Guide for e-Construction and Partnering: Training the 21st Century e-Construction Workforce (FHWA 2019). This tech brief provides information on career development and highlights mentoring as a form of development for construction inspectors. 1.3.5 Implementation Considerations Activities needed to support workforce development include workforce planning and knowledge management. Although both are outside the scope of this Guide, they are critical. As defined here, workforce planning includes analyzing and forecasting workforce supply and demand and assessing gaps in meeting project or systemwide agency demand (Taylor et al. 2020). Knowledge management refers to the effective, efficient, and timely transfer of knowledge from the long-term workforce to the entry-level and mid-career workforce. Knowledge management is vital, as a significant proportion of the inspection workforce will be eligible for retirement within a few years. For more information on knowledge management, please refer to NCHRP Report 813: A Guide to Agency-Wide Knowledge Management for State Departments of Transpor- tation (Spy Pond Partners 2015). Finally, an underlying challenge of recruiting individuals into nearly all construction-related occupations, including construction inspection positions, is attracting a younger workforce. Stakeholders in the transportation construction industry can help reestablish and strengthen career awareness and education opportunities about the role of transportation construction inspectors. For more information about how agencies can become involved in supporting construction education programs, please refer to CII RT 335 report, Restoring the Dignity of Work: Transforming the U.S. Workforce Development System into a World Leader (CII 2018).