By Cathy Tyler, NCCER

Ask any subcontractor about their biggest operational headache, and it’s often workforce-related. As the industry grapples with an ongoing labor shortage, the challenge has shifted from simply recruiting fresh faces to retaining them over the long term.

The modern jobsite has craft professionals of all ages and experience levels. Every generation can change their lives with a career in the trades. However, how people learn and what they need from an employer changes significantly as they gain experience.

To build a workforce that stays, specialty contractors must move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to training and development. True retention requires an adaptable framework that aligns an individual’s professional journey with clear, structured milestones.

Aligning Development with Experience

Recent research from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) highlights a critical truth for field leadership: learning preferences shift significantly as a worker accumulates years in the field. To keep a diverse workforce engaged, contractors must meet employees exactly where they are in their career lifecycle.

During their first year, new entrants thrive on direct, hands-on application. Entering an unfamiliar jobsite can be overwhelming, and these workers learn best by watching, helping and repeating foundational tasks under direct supervision. Establishing a structured helper phase that focuses on safety and tool identification builds the initial confidence necessary to keep a rookie from walking off the job.

By years one and two, craft professionals begin to settle into their roles. At this stage, peer support and informal on-the-job training drive the most growth. They need the psychological safety to execute tasks under a watchful eye without the pressure of formal testing, which is best achieved by pairing them with mid-level journey workers who can offer real-time feedback on the deck or in the trench.

A distinct shift occurs between years three and four. These mid-career professionals are no longer beginners; they actively seek structured on-the-job training with clear, measurable goals. This is the ideal window to implement formal skill check-offs and standardize performance milestones, explicitly connecting technical mastery to wage increases and promotion timelines.

As craftworkers advance into years five and six, they want to build new skills. And seasoned field professionals with seven or more years of experience show a strong preference for self-paced, online learning. They prefer to learn at their own convenience, particularly when transitioning from field execution to field leadership. Introducing these workers to online programs like the NCCER Construction Foreman Certification Program allows them to master critical supervisory skills — such as communication, productivity and safety management. The program is available in a self-paced format, led by a facilitator or hybrid model.

Defining Transparent Pathways and Gateways

Employees naturally stay where they can visualize a long-term future. If a young professional cannot look at an organizational chart and understand the exact mechanism required to reach a superintendent role, they will eventually look for that clarity with a competitor.

Subcontractors can eliminate this ambiguity by mapping out every field role, from a first-year apprentice to a project manager, and clearly defining the prerequisites for advancement. These gateways should rely on objective, standardized benchmarks rather than subjective evaluations. For instance, making the successful completion of the NCCER Construction Foreman Certification a formal prerequisite for moving into a frontline supervisor role gives aspiring leaders a transparent goal. When workers know exactly what credentials and hours are required for the next promotion, they take ownership of their own career progression.

This structured progression also facilitates critical knowledge transfer. One of the greatest risks to a specialty contractor is the loss of decades of expertise when senior field leaders retire. By formalizing a mentorship framework, contractors can bridge this gap. Providing mentoring opportunities gives senior employees a prestigious, less physically demanding pathway to remain highly valuable to the firm, while satisfying the younger generations’ desire for consistent feedback and professional connection.

The Operational Case for Structured Training

While implementing a structured development pathway requires an investment of time and resources, the operational return directly impacts a subcontractor’s bottom line. According to data published in NCCER’s research report, “Train Better, Build Smarter: The ROI of a Skilled Workforce,” formalized training functions as a profit driver and an operational stabilizer.

The financial return alone is substantial, with contractors realizing up to a $3 return for every $1 invested in training. Furthermore, structured programs drastically accelerate skill acquisition, allowing workers to achieve journey-level skills in just one to three years, compared to eight or more years under unstructured, informal setups.

These skills translate directly to jobsite performance. Trained crews hit their project productivity targets 65% of the time, whereas untrained crews meet those same targets just 52% of the time. This proficiency leads to fewer jobsite injuries, lower absenteeism and reduced rework. Ultimately, the data confirms a direct link to stability: 84% of surveyed employers report that structured training directly improved their employee retention rates.

Securing a Sustainable Field Force

Retaining a multi-generational workforce does not require a fragmented corporate strategy or different sets of rules for different age groups. It requires an operational commitment to structured career progression. By delivering the right training format at the right point in a worker’s tenure — from hands-on field mentoring for a rookie to online leadership certification for an aspiring foreman — subcontractors can insulate themselves from the labor shortage and build an adaptable field force engineered to last.

About the Author

Cathy Tyler is the Director of Workforce Development at NCCER and has supported the organization’s mission for 26 years. Throughout her career, she has led impactful partnerships with organizations such as FFA, COABE, and Hiring Our Heroes, while also serving in leadership roles with ACCE and TIVA to advance workforce development initiatives both locally and nationwide. She is passionate  about building cross-sector partnerships, developing workforce solutions, and strengthening industry outcomes.