BY SHANNEN TALBOT
Marketing & Communications Director, Inland Northwest AGC
It’s no secret that workforce development is a hot topic in the construction industry. Workforce challenges are regularly discussed in meetings and media, and the subject seems to hover at the edges of all other conversations. Therefore, it’s important that workforce success strategies, like the ones driven by the Inland Northwest AGC (NWAGC) in its multi-faceted workforce development initiative, Trade Up 2 Construction, are shared.
After listening to member feedback and analyzing their workforce needs, NWAGC asked the question: How could disparate solutions be joined together to resolve multiple challenges at once? Unclear pathways into construction, mismatched effort coordination, a shifting industry image and culture and a dearth of advertisements and job posts were all pieces of a larger puzzle, but where did that leave the workforce development and how could the Inland Northwest centralize its industry recruitment? These questions culminated in Trade Up 2 Construction and www.tradeup2construction.com.
Nearly 30,000 potential workers have visited and explored this website since its launch in late 2022, and more than 120 people have used it to connect directly to a Construction Career Navigator provided in partnership with WorkSource Spokane. More than 80 local construction jobs now live on the Trade Up 2 Construction Job Board, where posted jobs receive an average of 6,800 views per month.
Marshall Sampson of NWAGC member company Inland Infrastructure, said the response blew him away. “It was almost overwhelming. Later that same day I was getting applications, and we’ve hired four people thus far.”
The campaign began with a media partnership with local TV station KREM2News. Spokane construction professionals – craft workers, apprentices, superintendents and owners – were interviewed to share their stories and highlight the benefits of construction careers.
The creation of a Trade Up 2 Construction website followed, based on AGC of America’s recruitment site template. The site serves a purpose for younger generations, too, with exploratory elements that break down potential pathways and list regional training programs. The NWAGC added a job board that’s free for all users, and partnerships with WorkSource Spokane and support from presenting sponsor Garco Construction amplified the message.
After garnering almost 4.5 million impressions, the campaign was submit- ted by media partners for the American Advertising Awards and a Primetime Emmy, the results of which will be certified later this year.
When this campaign started, it was a challenge to define what ‘success’ would look like. How many new entrants to the construction industry would mean they’d made it? One? Ten? A hundred? Without a clear path to follow it was a venturesome journey, but they’ve arrived at a place where those interested in the industry have a one-stop shop for construction careers in the Inland Northwest, and they are actively utilizing it.
A hallmark of the initiative includes united industry involvement, with unions, open shops, apprenticeships, associations, private industry and others all working together to create and share opportunities with those new to construction. Above all, one thing is abundantly clear — there is no end to what the industry can achieve when everyone works together and makes workforce initiatives work for them.
Shannen Talbot is the Marketing & Communications Director for the Inland Northwest AGC. To learn more about Trade Up 2 Construction, visit www.tradeup2construction.com. Reach Talbot at stalbot@nwagc.org.