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Training & Development
EVER FORWARD. We believe in continual self-initiated change, improvement, learning and the advancement of standards for their own sake.
DPR Construction is a learning organization to our core. Ever forward is one of the four core values that our company was founded on that helps define who we are and what we stand for as an organization. We recognize the importance of continuous training and learning. We know we must provide the best opportunities. We understand the significance of creating an environment that supports the ongoing professional growth and development of our people.
Who we build is as important as what we build at DPR. Each year, we ask every employee to complete 80 hours of training as part of his/her continuous career development and growth. To help guide the process and accomplish this goal, we encourage external training, professional accreditations and industry conference participation, as well as offer a variety of internal tools and programs:
Current Best Practices
Started in April 1998, Current Best Practices (CBP) takes new employees through a three-day intensive training session with 21 modules focused on DPR culture, operations, business, technology and interpersonal skills. New employees are encouraged to attend CBP, which is offered annually in various office locations, within their first year of working at DPR.
DPR Toolbox
Much of our learning and training is based on the DPR tenet of knowledge sharing. The DPR Toolbox is our internal web-based centralized portal for our decentralized community that includes elements such as company culture, links to applications and designated workgroup areas. It also features:
- DPRWiki, our version of Wikipedia for sharing, adding and adjusting information to allow for real-time learning and knowledge sharing across the company. It also includes current best practices for everything we do and offers an environment for brainstorming, collaborating on ideas and sharing stories from the field.
- The Learning Center, a custom-created online application for employees to access and manage their training opportunities and individual career development. A centralized resource for all training at DPR, the Learning Center provides details for all classes (who, what, when, where), allows for easy "one-click" enrollment and tracks individual participation against DPR’s 80 hour a year goal.
DPR Training
Internal training courses consist of a mix of DPR Global Learning Group classes and regional classes. Global Learning Group classes, which are taught company-wide, include technical topics such as green construction, safety, electrical and mechanical systems and self-perform work, as well as general business courses, including communication skills, presentation skills, time management and negotiating skills. Regional classes are based on the needs of each regional office.
DPR Leadership Development
DPR also has developed an internal Leadership Development process for the continued growth and development of DPR’s current and future leaders. The DPR Leadership Development program includes:
- self awareness work (a custom-created 360 degree feedback tool and the MBTI personality profile),
- external executive coaching to focus on the information gained from the self awareness work,
- an EXPLORE retreat for two and a half days, which allows a group of leaders to do self-exploration, as well as team development work, and
- an ongoing leader lab, where groups continue to develop themselves.
CBP Quote:
"Current Best Practices really reinforces DPR’s unique culture, while teaching everyone in the organization about the company and what we do rather than how to do it," said Gary Wohl. "As a new employee, you can take what you learned during these three days and apply it to not only your work out in the field or in the office, but also to your decision-making process. As a flat organization that empowers people to make decisions at every level, it is nice to know that everyone begins their career at DPR with a clear understanding of the business and its practices to help them make the right decisions."
