The demand for professionals with expertise and professional knowledge in BIM is increasing and there are multiple reasons that support this statement. But there is a skill shortage in the market which indeed propels the need for offering standardised BIM education as a foundational activity which is a critical need for both industry and academia. BIM education is defined as a ‘process of learning that covers BIM knowledge that an individual must be capable of as well as having an understanding of BIM processes’. BIM education is a process of learning the conceptual and practical knowledge related to BIM technologies, workflows, and protocols.
There are several methods to gain BIM competencies which includes:
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Formal education focused on improving theoretical knowledge
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Vocational or on-the-job training is typically focused on skill improvement.
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Professional development is typically focused on improving personal traits.
BIM concepts and tools have gradually started to appear within tertiary institutions, especially in graduate level programs but it only includes some theoretical topics that won't suffice the growing demand for a BIM-competent workforce. With the ongoing demand now the focus is on developing industry ready graduates who have worked on hands-on, collaborative, and multidisciplinary project work. To bridge this academic and professional gap, Engridd BIM Academy is formed where we work with both students and professionals to refine them into BIM-ready graduates. The name Engridd comes from ‘Engineering the Grid’, a grid where engineers are industry-ready, organisations are execution-ready, systems are performance-ready, and BIM projects move seamlessly from intent to impact. We have a mission to building professionals, a scalable grid that empowers engineers and architects, strengthens organisations, and enables BIM delivery through practical skilling, reliable resourcing, high-performance infrastructure, and outcome-driven consulting. So how are we different from others? We work with students as well as hiring organizations who can filter the talent from our portal. We have a single ecosystem with different nodes which includes Skilling, Resourcing, Consulting, Marketplace, BIMStations. Our program has different levels both offline and online learning, focused on sufficing the need from basic to advanced professional level. While amalgamating the theory, practical, interactive sessions, quiz, assessments and final certification we focus on moulding a learner into a professional ready for industry.
Director Note
“Building Information Modelling (BIM) is the cornerstone of modern digital construction. It seamlessly integrates digital tools, intelligent processes, and collaborative data management to drive efficiency and optimize decision-making across the entire project lifecycle.”
Xavier G Papuraj
Director – BIM Academy
BIM improves overall project efficiency and accuracy across building phases. Recent advancements in AI technologies, such as predictive analytics and generative design, have enabled new applications of BIM in Construction Project Management (CPM). For instance, several studies demonstrate how AI-driven BIM models optimize construction schedules and cost estimates, reducing delays and overruns. Similarly, AI-enhanced BIM tools facilitate decision-making by analyzing large datasets in real-time, providing valuable insights for project managers.
Industry professionals and academics emphasise the deficit in BIM knowledge among the fresh graduates, newbies in the construction industry alike and advocate for a cohesive educational framework aligning with industry requirements, emphasising hands-on experience and interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Learning of digital construction techniques and the associated tools
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Understanding of BIM based project delivery workflows
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Deducing the nuances of the interoperability and identifying the integration gaps
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Mastering the cloud-based document management system for collaboration and designing and delivering a construction project from inception to operation i.e. from initial design through to facility management.
BIM knowledge is the sum of the:
Engridd BIM academy aims to enhance the competency and employability of future BIM modellers, the building engineering professionals and project managers. By proposing a phased approach and a BIM educational framework tailored to the Indian context, this academy recommends integration of BIM, supported by other emerging technologies, to better align educational outcomes with industry demands.
