Construction firms tap into digital applications

TORONTO — Mobile and web tools are increasingly making their way onto construction sites, simplifying jobs and presenting a new face of the industry to its next generation, CBC News reports. Deltera Inc. is currently constructing The Well in downtown Toronto, one of the largest projects in Canada. It uses the digital tool Procore, which serves as a hub for plans and project data while connecting contractors and tradespeople. “You don’t have to climb up six levels of stairs to get a drawing,” explains mechanical engineer Vlad Rotaru. Shaun Thorson, CEO of non-profit Skills/Compétences Canada, says such tech tools help his organization fulfill its mandate of promoting the trades and countering pressures on young people to pursue university and office work. “We have this perception that these are second-tier occupations, and they’re definitely not,” he says.