Construction: Where building a talent pipeline fits into your growth strategy

Construction companies are finding themselves in a unique situation. While leaders are seeing tremendous growth and optimism about the future of their industry, they also continue to see a lack of skilled labor to fill the jobs that will be created as a result of this potential growth. If your company is facing this dilemma, consider these strategies to begin addressing your talent pipeline.

Make a positive impression on younger generations

Many employees in construction are reaching retirement age and there aren’t a lot of young people lining up to take their place. This is due in part to their perception of working in the industry. Construction jobs have historically been stereotyped as dirty and dangerous, when in reality, many of the tools and processes of the past are being replaced with advanced technology like drones, mobile construction software and augmented reality. It is the responsibility of companies throughout the industry to make sure younger generations understand the exciting innovations being implemented in modern construction.

One way you can get started is by getting involved in your local school district. Consider sending guest speakers to classrooms and offering tours of your facilities and work sites. It’s not a bad idea to start talking with students as early as middle school age about the opportunities available in the construction industry. These efforts combat the pressure that students are receiving to get a traditional college education and provide awareness to the potential that exists for skilled labor and a technical degree path as an alternative. It also helps if you make an effort to win the parents over on the idea the construction industry as they have a significant influence over their children’s career path.

Offer apprenticeships

The student loan crisis is creating a big scare among those beginning to map out their career path. This is a great opportunity for construction companies to step in and offer an alternative route in the form of apprenticeships. Not only will it benefit the individuals involved, but it allows organizations to educate potential employees in the exact skills their company needs to create a workforce that sustains growth.

Encourage recruitment among your employees

The full responsibility of recruitment shouldn’t fall on just your human resources team as there are likely recruiters in every area of your organization. Not only does this save on potential costs of other recruiting tactics, but employees often refer some of the best hires because they don’t want to associate themselves with a candidate that will reflect poorly on them.

So how do you create the desire among your employees to start sharing how much they enjoy working for your company? Begin by being transparent with them about how important new talent is for your organization’s growth. They’re more likely to become ambassadors once they realize how their individual actions can help the company overall. It obviously doesn’t hurt if you also include some sort of bonus or incentive for successful referrals.

Summary

There are a number of strategies like the ones above that can help positively impact your industry’s perception and ultimately grow your organization’s skilled workforce. However, you must stay creative and look for recruitment opportunities that are unique to your company. After all, no one else has a deeper understanding of your organization’s strengths and culture.

For more information on assessing talent management strategies to support your company’s growth contact Carrie Cox using the information below.