{"id":901966,"date":"2026-04-28T03:19:05","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:19:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/nabtu-microsoft-partner-on-ai-training-for-construction-trades\/"},"modified":"2026-04-28T03:19:05","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T08:19:05","slug":"nabtu-microsoft-partner-on-ai-training-for-construction-trades","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/nabtu-microsoft-partner-on-ai-training-for-construction-trades\/","title":{"rendered":"NABTU, Microsoft partner on AI training for construction trades"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span>An article from<\/span><br \/>\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/d12v9rtnomnebu.cloudfront.net\/logo\/printer_friendly\/constructiondive.jpg\" alt=\"site logo\">\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<p><span><\/p>\n<p>                Dive Brief<\/p>\n<p>        <\/span><\/p>\n<p>The effort will incorporate a tech-forward curriculum into apprenticeship programs, teaching real-world applications from safety compliance to jobsite problem-solving.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<figure>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class src=\"https:\/\/imgproxy.divecdn.com\/Pko7uQ3xe4BeqrR7xNPYN3dXC6GKejryKbhdIXkBsUA\/g:ce\/rs:fill:1200:675:1\/Z3M6Ly9kaXZlc2l0ZS1zdG9yYWdlL2RpdmVpbWFnZS9HZXR0eUltYWdlcy0yMjU1NDMzNTk1X2M4SzZRVjEuanBn.webp\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\"   alt=\"Construction workers on a busy road in the city.\"><\/p>\n<figcaption>\n<p>            <span><br \/>\n                Workers at a construction site in New York City, N.Y. on Jan. 09, 2026.<br \/>\n            <\/span><\/p>\n<p>        <span><br \/>\n            Spencer Platt via Getty Images<br \/>\n        <\/span><br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p>\n            This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have <a href=\"http:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/contact\/\">feedback<\/a>.\n        <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<h3><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Brief:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>North America\u2019s Building Trades Unions and Microsoft have teamed up to <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nabtu.org\/press_releases\/nabtu-and-microsoft-expand-nationwide-initiative-to-strengthen-ai-training-and-career-pathways-across-the-skilled-trades\/\"><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>deliver AI training to construction trades<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><span><span><span><span><span><span> workers nationwide, aiming to scale digital skills across apprenticeship programs and jobsites.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The program, announced April 21, focuses on AI literacy, data security and practical applications. It will help instructors generate lesson plans, quizzes and training materials more efficiently and introduce jobsite use cases such as code compliance and safety updates.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span><span><span><span><span><span>The initiative is designed to reach tens of thousands of workers through NABTU\u2019s network of training centers, with input from contractors to ensure the curriculum reflects real-world jobsite needs.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span><span><span><span><span><span>Dive Insight:<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The partnership between NABTU and Microsoft reflects a broader push to define how AI will be used in construction.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>The training is structured in phases, beginning with data security and basic AI literacy before moving into practical applications for both instructors and workers, according to Tom Kriger, director of research and education at NABTU.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Early efforts have focused heavily on improving efficiency within apprenticeship programs. Instructors are trained to use AI tools to streamline administrative and teaching tasks, such as lesson planning. The idea is to reduce time spent on preparation and allow more time for hands-on mentoring.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cThat\u2019s the whole goal, to make our instructors more efficient so they can spend more time with apprentices,\u201d Kriger said.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>But the plan is to also increase the knowledge within jobsite use cases, where younger workers have already begun to informally adopt AI. Focus groups conducted with apprentices revealed that many are using AI tools to solve real-world construction problems, such as interpreting electrical codes or staying current with changing regulations.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>For instance, one key use case is safety and compliance. Instead of manually reviewing lengthy OSHA documents, workers and instructors can use AI to quickly identify updates or reconcile changes in standards, which could previously require extended manual review.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>Still, construction presents a different environment for AI adoption compared to other industries. While white-collar roles such as estimating or accounting may see greater automation, Kriger noted the hands-on nature of trade work provides a buffer.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span><span><span><span><span>\u201cAI can\u2019t turn wrenches and it\u2019s not going to lay bricks,\u201d he said. \u201cAI is more likely to support decision-making and knowledge access than replace craft labor.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constructiondive.com\/news\/nabtu-microsoft-ai-training-construction-trades\/818484\/\" class=\"button purchase\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Read More<\/a><br \/>\n Keith Loria<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>An article from Dive Brief The effort will incorporate a tech-forward curriculum into apprenticeship programs, teaching real-world applications from safety compliance to jobsite problem-solving. Workers at a construction site in New York City, N.Y. on Jan. 09, 2026. Spencer Platt via Getty Images This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":901967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78,149150],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-901966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-microsoft","8":"category-nabtu"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=901966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/901967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=901966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=901966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=901966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}