Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2020 - 20

Executive Viewpoint

FIG. 1. As companies seek to quickly define and meet production goals based on what sectors
and geographic regions are first to rebound, companies must find, recruit and train new talent.

ing faculty members, their background
and classes they teach. Offer to be a guest
speaker or host a trip to a job site or engineering office. Educators are often looking for " real " projects that give students
practical exposure. Consider teaching as
an adjunct professor.
Be sure to take advantage of schools'
job boards and web postings. Offer to
host a seminar about the business or a generic topic, such as, " What construction
firms look for in a new hire. " Consider
having a company employee who is a recent graduate be part of the presentation.
Students are more likely to relate to someone closer to their age, ideally a graduate
of that school. Send new brochures, press
clippings and articles to career services
staff, faculty and teachers.
Each year, the Department of Education (DOE) awards Innovation & Modernization (I&M) grants. The grants are
a Perkins V program funding career and
technical education (CTE), and are designed to identify and support evidencebased strategies for preparing students
for the workforce. The grants also seek to
ensure that skills taught in CTE programs
funded under Perkins V are a fit with local
labor market needs. Construction firms
must seize this opportunity and work
with local CTE programs.
Boosting investment in apprenticeships and training programs is a critical
step for improving recruiting, and may
be particularly useful as small, targeted
groups become the norm (as opposed to
large classroom settings). Even prior to
the COVID pandemic, such programs had
ramped up nationwide, allowing students
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DECEMBER 2020 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com

to gain job skills and position themselves
for a career before they graduate. The Department of Labor (DOL) has advocated
for the expansion of apprenticeships in
several industries, including construction.
Technology is an invaluable tool for
reaching the younger, tech-savvy generation. For example, Procore.org and the
ACE Mentor Program of America (ACE),
a high school mentoring program that
reaches more than 8,000 students annually, use Brick by Brick, an interactive game
designed by two Procore employees, to
captivate the attention of students and
introduce them to the construction industry. The game combines toy-building
material and the Procore app to teach the
fundamentals of construction management. Simply informing students that the
construction jobsite is rich in technology-think drones, robots, 3D printers
and smart devices-can increase their
level of interest in the industry.
Across the country, some construction
firms are exploring different approaches
to recruiting. Working with programs
that target at-risk youth, as well as prisoner reentry programs, are examples.
Retirees represent another relatively untapped group. Many people moving into
retirement are still interested in working
part time. Retirees from the owner's side
who have spent their career managing
construction projects can bring unique
perspectives and add significant value to
construction firms. Career opportunities
for women and minorities also must be
improved. Most successful efforts in this
area are grassroots initiatives on the part
of individual companies.

Temporary labor options. With market
sectors in flux and educational settings
disrupted, temporary labor options may
represent an increasingly viable route
to hiring. Temporary labor and staffing
firms can match workers with companies.
Typically, the staffing firms have completed background checks, drug testing
and skills assessments for the people they
are supplying. It should be noted that using temporary labor does present some
challenges. Temporary workers may not
be fully on board with a company's mission, or they may not be committed to
following safety, quality and operational
guidelines. Project managers and site
leaders must understand these challenges
and plan accordingly. This should involve
setting clear expectations, providing specific training and education, and constant
communication.
If a staffing firm is used, building a relationship with the firm's representatives is
a critical step. Consider providing regular
feedback on workers sourced by the agency. This helps the firm understand a company's specific needs and identify people
that are the best fit. Often, staffing firms
will allow companies to directly hire temporary workers for an additional fee. Using temporary labor effectively requires a
planned approach to ensure effectiveness.
Finally, it is important to remember
that a company must build a brand to effectively recruit. Use a variety of media
outlets and technologies as part of an integrated communication effort. Marketing assets should include:
* A website with a content-rich
section geared toward students
* Videos, podcasts and other
multimedia tools
* Social media channels, such as
Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat,
and even text messaging.
Do not forget to produce communication pieces in multiple languages that
target parents, who have become increasingly more involved in their children's decision and career choices.
An owner and contractor partnership
approach to hiring-one that reaches out
to various groups-will optimize the talent a company is able to bring on board.
1

LITERATURE CITED
NCCER, " Is a four-year degree always the right
choice for students? " online: https://discover.byf.
org/is-a-four-year-degree-always-the-right-choicefor-students/

http://www.Procore.org https://discover.byf.org/is-a-four-year-degree-always-the-right-choice-for-students/ https://discover.byf.org/is-a-four-year-degree-always-the-right-choice-for-students/ https://discover.byf.org/is-a-four-year-degree-always-the-right-choice-for-students/ http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com

Hydrocarbon Processing - December 2020

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