6 January What’s keeping business owners awake at night? January 6, 2023By ICI Administrator General 0 Seventy per cent of respondents to a recent KPMG Australian business survey cited talent acquisition, retention and re/upskilling as the most immediate concerns facing their organisation. The challenge is exacerbated in the civil industry, driven by an increasing projects pipleline forecast to reach of $450 billion in the next four years. Combine this with the macro effects of nationwide low unemployment rates, low immigration levels and a skills shortage, and HR teams are faced with a generation of potential recruits asking, “Why should I work for you?” Looking beyond the obvious impact of remuneration, the report identified five key initiatives that can have a significant impact in meeting your workforce demands. These include two key focus areas for upskilling. Do you have the leaders you need? Do your current leaders have the skillsets needed to build a growth mindset, manage diverse personalities and cultures - and ultimately build the culture you want in your organisation? Investment in leadership learning for your existing managers is proven to have a significant impact on your staff retention and culture. Agile talent development Rarely do you find that a new team member has all the skills you’d like them to have. No longer can you follow the traditional solution of simply letting them learn on the job – team members expect to work with you to identify and fill these skills gaps immediately. Short sprints of education and learning, done onsite via virtual classrooms, are the ideal solution to providing the learnings required, while also creating a positive culture. Investment in a team member’s training is an investment in the person – it demonstrates your belief in the team member – and defines your organisation as an Employer of Choice. The underlying message in the KPMG report is that having a strong value proposition that attracts new talent is not done by accident – it’s a concerted, long-term effort across a range of team-focused activities. At ICI Australia, we give Civil Contractors the tools they need to showcase themselves as an employer people want to work for. We are dedicated to furthering the skills, careers and status of people in the Australian Civil Infrastructure industry. We do this via learning programs, events, tours and industry recognition programs. With an extremely flexible delivery and learning program, ICI Australia provides a means for your teams to learn about Technical, People and Business Management. The program offers participants the ability to follow personal interests, and provides skillsets for future roles and advancement. Courses are delivered by our community of Civil Industry Experts – who are willing to share their knowledge and experience to help develop your teams. Want to learn more? View our Course list here. Related Posts Leveraging Finance to expand your business – it pays to be educated With the impact of coronavirus and major banks tightening up on lending policies as a result of the Banking Royal Commission recommendations, accessing finance for some businesses may be harder. Keeping Active During the Festive Season If you have been diligent with your training and rituals for the past few months you should be looking and feeling so much better than you were only a matter of months ago. The weather is warming up quickly, and the festive season is just around the corner so let’s not let the ball slip now. The Why for Change in an industry undergoing radical transformation A wide-ranging debate rages in engineering and construction, regarding the extent to which the industry must change to align more closely with contemporary business practices and the broader expectations of the world in which we live. Keeping Fit At Lunch Or After Work We all know the benefits of exercise but struggle to find the time or motivation to fit it around our busy schedule. One way to combat this is to include a session within your work day, either before work, lunchtime or after work. Recruiting work colleagues will add to the enjoyment as well as have non-fitness related benefits when you’re all back in the office. Check out two quick sessions you can add to your schedule TODAY! Business As Usual The Institute continues to grow across Australia providing the opportunity for all civil infrastructure managers, supervisors, leading hands and engineers to upskill, get recognised and grow their careers. Is your workplace mentally healthy? The construction sector has some of the highest rates of mental ill health when compared to all industries in Australia. In fact, according to Construction Industry Culture Taskforce (CICT), the industry experiences: Comment (0) Comments are closed.