Today there is a worldwide need to find competent and skilled workers in the engineering construction industry. Yet recruitment and employment agencies struggle to do so. The main challenge is to find employees with the qualifications required for short-term projects (such as annual shutdowns). Such projects are usually connected with fast-paced work. Managements cannot allow delays for additional training and introductions. Hence agencies and subcontractors need to employ reliable, verified personnel who meet the project requirements.
Engineering construction projects are a significant part of the labour market in Europe. According to OECD projections for the near future, the engineering construction sector will face a shortfall of workers, both in Europe and in the US. However, it is not only a demographic issue related to the number of available workers. It is also a matter of training and qualifications. Engineering construction projects are becoming increasingly demanding in their complexity and standards. Professional skills and knowledge are specific to each job.
However, demanding Health and Safety (H&S) standards must be applied to all positions in the industry. This requires constant update of knowledge: new regulations are introduced fairly often. H&S issues and trainings are managed by governments, international organizations like the International Labour Organization (ILO) and specific industries like the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB) in the UK. Stringent standards require workers to follow regulations and constantly update their knowledge. It is little surprise that according to KPMG's Global Construction Survey 2015, 44% of organisations in the industry struggle to attract qualified craft labour while 87% of larger organisations report their need to bring in supplemental people. Only 29% of larger companies and 11% of smaller organisations choose their staff based upon their past performance. In most situations, workers are selected on a case-by-case basis. More telling is the fact that 71% of companies in the energy industry reported underperforming projects in the last year.
All these factors are a challenge to general contractors, subcontractors and of course recruitment and employment agencies operating across diverse markets. Agencies and staff need to adhere to requirements of clients, governments and industries. Therefore, companies need to apply new and innovative tools and methods to supply adequate personnel for each project.
Companies in the construction sector should treat talent management and human resources as strategic imperatives, which should be emphasized in each company's business strategy including risk management, investment policy and governance. On a more basic level, new methods of recruitment and retention need to be introduced. The first step is to attract candidates, not only for a current project, but other applicants who may be employed on projects in the future. Posting job ads in the newspapers and on job boards is far from enough nowadays.
Specialist agencies often accent their presence in the market by membership in various associations such as the Engineering Construction Industry Association, the British Polish Chamber of Commerce, Achilles/FPAL and the like. But this is a strategy not only aimed at clients. These organisations, verifying members at various stages and for different reasons, impose standards and regulations. This increases their members' credibility. Candidates prefer to apply to known and respected companies possessing established backgrounds and compelling histories. However, it is not only media recognition that draws good personnel. Recommendations and references are checked by employers and employees alike. A satisfied employee is much more likely to recommend a company to his colleagues for future projects. In that sense the employee ideally becomes an ambassador for his employer. Furthermore, careless management of contract employees can lead to a bad reputation in the market and reduce opportunities to recruit future workers.
The importance of having a ready pool of qualified and verified workers cannot be overstated. However, as different projects require a different set of skills, agencies and subcontractors usually select their personnel individually for each project. This requires a robust method of verifying the necessary set of skills and qualifications. Practical trade tests are becoming widespread in the industry. These give company representatives a forum to witness the candidates performing practical tasks and to assess their results. It is also a chance to verify the candidates work according to H&S rules and requirements.
Offering adequate industry-recognized H&S training is mandatory to success, so agencies cooperate with training companies to scout out qualified personnel. Project Management Information Systems as means of governance is also recommended. Such systems secure data support and quality processing of necessary and fast-changing information on applications, outdated and updated trainings, qualifications and certificates. An agency may introduce its own system as in new cloud-based solutions for group collaboration on simultaneous projects. Or they may cooperate with their clients following their systems and requirements. Recruitment consultants say that social networking is becoming more popular among tradesmen. The internet is no longer the domain of high-level managers and specialists. Companies communicate with their employees and candidates on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter and even Facebook. This seems to be a direction worth following. The above-mentioned innovations are merely an outline of the strategies companies apply to achieve their goals and successfully manage projects. The labour market is changing rapidly. Most industries find themselves in a new situation every few years. This means that new ways of attracting, recruiting and retaining qualified labour are a continuing challenge. Companies and organisations with sufficient insight, determination and capabilities to introduce innovative methods by definition possess a significant strategic advantage in the future market. After all, work forces are made of individuals with specific skills. It seems self-evident that it is quality more than quantity that matters most in their selection.
Source:
BPCC by Grzegorz Nagórka, recruitment manager at Jobland.pl/Central European Staffing