8 Places to Find and Cultivate Workers Now
BY AsphaltPro Staff
More workers are needed in the industry to help build and maintain the roads and bridges that connect our communities and move our commerce. Here are eight places to look for your next crew member:
1. Find truck drivers with Next Generation Truckers at https://www.nextgentrucking.org/.
2. Find skilled veterans through GI Jobs, which hosts frequent virtual career fairs; Helmets to Hardhats, which connects active-duty servicemen and women who are transitioning into civilian life with skilled training and construction careers; Vet Fast Track; and others such as the Stars and Stripes newspaper.
Tips for Smaller Construction Employers to Find, Retain Workers
3. The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) has trained over 500,000 construction workers since signing a pledge in the White House in July 2018. Check in with your local ABC chapter or affiliate to see “who” is about to graduate from an apprenticeship program near you or to see how you can work with the program. The national website is https://workforce.abc.org/.
4. Check with your DOT’s business center to see if there is a workforce development, worker placement or small business protégé program in place that you can be a part of.
5. Check with your local and state chambers of commerce for job fairs that you can be a part of, and then participate in the marketing efforts to promote the fact your company is looking for workers at those events.
6. Participate in your state asphalt pavement association’s career day or other workforce development activities when those are offered. For example, the Asphalt Pavement Association of Indiana (APAI) partnered with Future Farmers of America (FFA) for its #ag2asphalt days with great success and the model of tapping into high school FFA organizations can be replicated throughout the country. That example, among others, is discussed in this article.
Where to Find Workers Today, How to Retain Them for Tomorrow
7. Participate in career fairs at the local high schools and vocational schools where, hopefully, you already support internships and programs for construction-related careers.
8. Bring the candidates to you by hosting your own recruitment day at your facility.