An investigation into Ireland’s BIM Skills Gap

The adoption of digital skills within the Irish AEC Sector has the potential to enhance efficiency and competitiveness among its stakeholders. Despite this opportunity, there is still a high demand for skilled BIM professionals, which cannot be currently met. To meet this skills demand and directly target future skills gaps within Ireland, several challenges must be addressed to facilitate broader BIM adoption. This paper focuses on addressing this gap by identifying steps to be followed to develop skilled professionals within BIM. This has been achieved by investigating the extent to which construction stakeholders in Ireland comprehend BIM and, examiningthe training and educational initiatives implemented locally and internationally to facilitate the digital transition. The research also provides insights into the ramifications of the absence of a mandate for BIM implementation in the country concerning skills maturity. The findings highlight that insufficient BIM knowledge and resistance to change are the major challenges of digitalisation and how educational initiatives can play a major role in addressing these issues. A set of recommendations are put forward to increase the involvement of key stakeholders and younger generations in addressing Ireland’s BIM skills gap.