AGC’s 2021 Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference wrapped up Oct. 15 after two days of in-person education, sharing of best practices and networking in St. Louis, MO. The conference continues to be a must-attend event for human resources and training professionals in the construction industry.
This year’s conference was preceded by AGC of America’s inaugural National Construction Industry Workforce Summit. This summit was designed to bring leaders in construction and workforce development together to find solutions to chronic worker shortages in the industry. During this day-long summit, construction and workforce development professionals learned about successful programs that are helping recruit, develop and retain high-quality construction professionals. Attendees also worked together to address specific workforce challenges, like crafting a message for caregivers that construction careers are the right choice for their children and attracting more women into the industry.
The official opening day of the Construction HR & Training Professionals Conference started off thoughtful session led by Fred Hencke from Segal. Hencke’s presentation “Balancing Wellness & Wellbeing for a Healthy Workforce” captivated the audience and set the collaborative tone of the conference. Breakout sessions throughout the day covered such topics as various labor & employment law topics and industry implications, recruitment & retention, a diversity case study, federal vaccine mandates, engagement, costly HR fails, and activity-based learning. Later in the day, Bryan May from Arcoro moderated a panel discussion of senior construction company leaders, “Overcoming the Workforce Shortage – Moving beyond Recruiting.” The enthralling discussion covered how HR and training strategy is not only contributing to but also powering their company’s success in 2021 and beyond.
On day two, Wally Adamchik from FireStarter Speaking and Consulting presented his positive findings from the 2021 People in Construction Survey. The ensuing morning breakout sessions included topics such as worker availability and economic trends, mental health, Davis-Bacon, and training for safety leadership. The conference concluded with a compelling presentation on how Procore became a virtual L&D organization, how they set the bar for world-class experience-driven employee onboarding and training, and shared best practices for developing virtual training and on-boarding for a post-pandemic workforce.
The conference was sponsored by Arcoro, the National Center for Construction Education & Research, PAS, Inc., Criterion, Segal, Bridgit, Alliant Employee Benefits, and the Construction Career Center.
The 2022 conference will be held October 12-14 in Phoenix, AZ. Stay tuned for more details.
For more information, contact Claiborne Guy at claiborne.guy@agc.org.