by Katherine Adams, Senior Vice President of Pipeline AZ
Intro: The Phoenix metro area is at a turning point in its economic development. The area’s rapid growth warrants an increased need for construction jobs. Phoenix is not unique in this rapid development, and nationwide, businesses will need a direct connection point to their talent pipeline to sustain new construction development. Students, who could be potential construction professionals, are often first exposed to occupations that will become their profession in the classroom, therefore it is vital to provide them with the resources they need and deserve to achieve their career goals.
Utilizing effective methods of communication can help prepare the future workforce of the industry for success and help grow your business long-term. Construction career awareness begins in the classroom as early as middle school and takes the intentional investment of businesses, trade associations, and educators to turn that awareness into action.
As Senior Vice President of Pipeline AZ, an Arizona-based career awareness and exploration platform, I have worked closely with educators, learners, career advancement experts, and business leaders across the state of Arizona. This work includes connecting with public schools, community colleges, and local nonprofits to offer learners career-planning resources that allow them to explore different career paths within the construction industry. Helping lead efforts to build the Pipeline AZ platform has given me a wealth of knowledge to share so that subcontractors can direct the next generation towards promising careers.
These four tips can help businesses directly connect to the existing and future talent pipelines.
- Leverage local educational institutions to access candidates
Access is a consistent barrier that both students and businesses face that prevents them from advancing in their careers. Leveraging local community colleges can help close these communication gaps, providing businesses and learners with direct collaboration opportunities that can lead to full-time positions.
For example, many community colleges have internships, cooperative education (co-op) programs, and career centers, all of which prepare students to enter the workforce. Local community colleges play a vital role in helping students bridge the divide between education and valuable job prospects through a combination of education and practical experience.
Partnering with local educational institutions is important for employers because providing students with valuable work experience will help them gain a better understanding of what being a member of the workforce truly entails. It will also allow students to have a deeper knowledge of your organization and its potential future roles available for them to pursue.
- Employ online resources
There is a wealth of resources available online to connect construction businesses to potential future employees in the construction industry, including virtual webinars and workshops, social media engagement, and online networking opportunities. Participating in remote webinars and workshops on construction-related topics enables businesses to share specialized skills, industry updates, and potential career pathways with students.
Utilizing social media as a connection point to engage with prospective candidates can help improve the previously mentioned access gaps for students interested in pursuing a career in construction. Half of all our community colleges in Arizona use Pipeline AZ as their online career resource, and employers can connect with students here and even set up events or workshops through the platform.
Through these online networking opportunities, students can interact with professionals directly and ask questions they may have about the construction industry. The many career opportunities available to them and make important connections that can lead to a future career.
- Get organized – Build a candidate database
Adequate planning and preparation through the creation of a candidate database simplifies the recruiting and retention process for both student job seekers and hiring departments. There are many ways to organize this data, but one golden rule that can be applied no matter what structure your business chooses to use is to keep the data in order. This makes information more easily accessible so you do not have to waste time searching.
Career exploration tools such as Pipeline AZ can operate as your own applicant organization system. Taking the extra time to intentionally organize your prospective candidates’ credentials will improve candidate recognition and streamline the analysis process. With this organization system, scanning resumés for specific keywords such as education, skills, and work experience will be significantly easier. Also, it will be easier to filter out candidates who don’t meet fundamental job requirements.
- Create a company culture that ensures continuous professional development
The best way to ensure you are recruiting and retaining the right team is to invest in them directly through continuous professional development opportunities. Some examples of opportunities that align with the unique demands and trends of the construction industry include investing in training, supporting employees in skills development opportunities such as workshops and networking events, and encouraging a culture of open communication and constructive feedback.
As previously mentioned, students can always benefit from work-based experiences and your dedication to continuously teaching and sharing about the industry and sharing that with students will help you build future talent alongside education partners.
Closing: Recruitment strategies are communication strategies that can help your business navigate the ever-changing workforce demands. Leveraging local educational institutions, utilizing online resources, implementing systematic data organization tools, and cultivating a company culture that nurtures continuous professional development, your business can easily access the local talent pool to certify better outcomes for student job seekers.
Companies can use these strategies to help students succeed in whichever subset of the construction industry they pursue.
About the author:
As Senior Vice President of Pipeline AZ, Katherine Adams focuses on creating and managing the strategic partnerships and education initiatives of Arizona’s statewide career exploration platform, and its career awareness collective infrastructure.
As the liaison between educational clients and corporate business leaders, Adams has a tactical understanding of the talent requirements of the market, and an empathetic approach necessary to connect these separate entities. Her experience in workforce solutions, talent development, and higher education equips her with the knowledge to lead collaborative efforts that help Pipeline AZ achieve its mission of helping Arizona students find fulfilling careers and complete the education that they need to achieve their career goals.
