With the ever-increasing skilled labor shortage in the construction industry, managers are working on providing in-house training for new recruits. The labor shortage has been growing worse over the last decade and, exacerbated by the pandemic, will now require construction companies to help close the gap in skilled labor.
Offering good wages and benefits is a great incentive to attracting new talent, but building a clear career path is the best route to keeping that talent. When new recruits can see their career options with the company offering training to advance to next levels, they are more likely to see it as a chance to build a career rather than a temporary job.
Skills can be taught, but attitude plays a huge part in the success of new recruits. That’s why a thorough background check and recommendations are important. Recruiting should be a continuous process, not something you do when you have a vacancy. This can be achieved by having an application form on your website which is always active and offering your crew members a bonus for successful referrals.
By planning ahead, you will have existing staff members who have the time to train new recruits rather than trying to do it on the job when you have a vacancy and your team is stretched.
You will always pay for training—it may be in the time your crew devotes to training or in the mistakes that new recruits make. If your crew is already stretched to the limit, consider paying for recruits to go for training at a college instead. There are a wealth of options for training from courses at local lumber yards to online options. An in-house training program may take too long and require too many resources, so offering continuing education will help you to retain existing staff while improving the skills level of your crew.
There are a number of online video courses that potential employees could take, but these should be augmented by hands-on training. These should be professional, paid courses rather than watching videos on YouTube which can provide questionable advice.
Be sure to include the time and money for training in your job costs. Investing in training can really pay off in the long run as you have a reliable crew who make few mistakes and work effectively.