IT education a priority; 2,200 crowd into Maui Convention; UA training initiatives an eye-opener
High technology is merely a rumor to most mechanical contractors. Less than one third of a class raised their hands when asked whether their companies were doing 3-D computer modeling of project drawings. Only four hands shot up in a class of about 30 when asked if their company had a full-time Information Technology (IT) department. Only three in the same class said they participated in Web-based project management.
All this happened among a group encompassing the country's most sophisticated mechanical contractors. Something seems out of sync here, and maybe that's why the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA) chose to highlight IT as the educational focal point of its 2001 Annual Convention held Feb. 11-15 in a slice of paradise on the Hawaiian island of Maui.