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Making a career within a career is no longer enough for young people.
And yet, you who own or manage a career know it: jobs in the aggregates industry have a lot to offer.
But how do you make a career attractive for young people?
In this article, Synaxe gives you all the keys to attracting new talent, and of course keeping them!
On the program:
- Why are jobs in the materials and construction industries less attractive to young people?
- How to attract young people to jobs in the career industry?
- How do you keep young talent in your company?
Why are jobs in the materials and construction industries less attractive to young people?
An image deficit
This is certainly the number 1 problem: the construction industry suffers from a bad image. Manual jobs are often devalued and fewer and fewer young people consider them. In particular in stone quarries, which are little known to the general public.
However, France is home to more than 8,000 sites, which employ a total of more than 75,000 people!
Today, many employees are retiring and companies are not finding enough candidates to ensure succession...
And yet, the materials and construction trades promise a great career.
Within companies, there are numerous opportunities for development.
Not to mention the wages, which are growing faster than the national average — between 2 and 3% each year.
Hard physical work
Carrying heavy loads, poor posture, exposure to bad weather... Working in a career means exposing yourself to intense physical effort. And we can understand that it is not to everyone's taste!
However, the materials and construction trades are not limited to physical work. Some positions focus on analysis or coordination, and technicians need to mobilize a large number of skills.
In addition, the technological advancements make it possible to reduce physical work. Workers have access to modern machines. Today, there is real work on reducing loads or raising awareness about gestures and postures.
The integration of women
Hard to deny it, construction is a mostly male environment: women represent 12.4% of employees in 2020. And careers are no exception... But the sector is actively looking to make a difference!
Today, there are more and more women working as construction managers or land and environmental managers.
Even among manual trades, physical strength becomes secondary to the benefit of precision and skill. Technological developments play an essential role. For example, driving heavy machinery is more accessible, and electric and pneumatic tools make it easier to work with stone.
How to attract young people to jobs in the career industry?
Rebrand the career image
Transmitting the right image is an essential challenge in order to make a career attractive for young people. Businesses need to highlight the importance of the concrete and aggregates industries.
There is no shortage of arguments! Extracted materials are used to build roads, buildings, urban furniture, prefabricated building elements, decorative structures, and much more.
Quarrying is a modern industry, which uses complex machines and automated control installations. With 8,000 sites spread across the country, career prospects are numerous and hiring forecasts are optimistic.
But how can you take concrete action to attract talent? It is up to companies to deconstruct prejudices and promote jobs in the sector. It is necessary to conduct a real awareness campaign, and for this, several solutions are available to you:
- organize open houses;
- intervening in schools;
- set up MOOCs and online training courses;
- or even publish in the press and on social networks.
Synaxe try, for example, to contribute to this collective effort through its hashtag #FiersDeNosCarrières and the highlighting of positive initiatives in the sector.
Present the diversity of professions
Companies must also present to the public the wide range of jobs that give life to stone quarries: exploitation of deposits, production, delivery to construction sites, maintenance of equipment, environmental monitoring, etc.
There are many ways to do these jobs, and you need to promote them! Some courses lead directly to the heart of careers, such as CAPs and vocational diplomas. They offer numerous opportunities: extraction, stone cutting, machine maintenance... Once in the field, employees can acquire new qualifications.
There are other ways to access careers. For example, the BTS applied geology at the Henri Loritz high school in Nancy is a rare course, but its opportunities are assured. Otherwise, specialized licenses and masters (chemistry, geology, environment, etc.) stand out thanks to the long internships imposed during the course of training. Finally, universities and engineering schools offer courses in geology, materials studies or even sustainable development.
But how can these jobs be made known? Do not hesitate to diversify the means:
- participate in job search and work-study forums organized by schools;
- organize meetings and exchanges with high school classes;
- Show young people about your career;
- promote jobs in the industry via media and social networks.
Putting environmental concerns at the center
Today, corporate social responsibility (CSR) plays a big role in a company's image. And that's especially true in the quarry industry, which has a reputation for being polluting.
According to the CCCA-BTP (Committee for Coordination and Coordination of Building and Public Works Apprenticeship), 6 out of 10 young people prefer CSR policy before salary upon hiring. Jobs related to energy renovation attract students, and this is why calls for projects are emerging to innovate in training courses.
It has become essential to integrate environmental concerns in the exploitation of mineral substances, and to become aware of its impact on the fields of The water, of the air and of the landscape.
Don't be late!
Today, companies are committed to a process of environmental progress. They use landscape designers to redevelop quarries after exploitation in order to integrate them into the ecological and landscape network. Moreover, the rational management of resources and the use of recycled demolition materials are constantly progressing.
To integrate these new issues into your business, you can for example add a CSR project to the job description of newcomers. Do not hesitate to share your actions on social networks as well.
But be careful: your commitment must be real. Beware of greenwashing! Young people take environmental issues very seriously.
Multiply the channels to become known
To make your career attractive to young people, you need to make yourself known! To do this, the ideal is to use several recruitment channels:
- temporary employment agencies: although their cost is significant, they allow the employee to be tested over several weeks, which is particularly interesting in the construction sector;
- recruitment agencies: they allow you to find the ideal profile. Some firms specialize in construction;
- advertising sites (Le Bon Coin, Indeed, job-btp, etc.): posting an ad sometimes makes it possible to find interesting candidates, but it is a one-time solution;
- social networks: they require a long-term commitment, but they can help you give a good image to your business.
You can also contact the institutions that provide the training courses directly. Here are a few schools that can become excellent recruitment channels:
- Professional bachelor's degrees in public works;
- the BTS applied geology from the Lycée Henri Loritz;
- the BTS applied geology from the CFA UNICEM Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes;
- IMT Mines Alès through its Public Works specialization;
- IMT Mines Alès via its Subsoil Engineering and Mineral Resources Exploitation (ISERM) course;
- the UNICEM Career Manager CAP.
How do you keep young talent in your company?
Develop career development opportunities
An aggregate quarry can last up to 30 years, so it offers sustainable jobs. Companies often manage several operating sites, which allows for a certain degree of professional mobility.
To keep young talent in your company, you must offer them the opportunity to develop professionally:
- either vertically to become a manager;
- or horizontally to gain expertise or change fields.
To do this, it is essential to continuously train your teams and to promote internal promotion. Consider the validation of prior experience (VAE), which allows your employees to obtain professional qualification certificates (CQP) without going through a comprehensive training course. You can also offer them to test a new position, for example while on maternity leave.
To promote these alternatives, highlight the career path of employees who have been able to evolve in the company. You can organize meetings, or share videos on your intranet.
Giving apprenticeships a chance
Apprenticeships are an opportunity for young workers, but also for you! This is an excellent way to transmit the know-how and interpersonal skills of your company... And potentially to recruit an employee who is already trained in your methods at the end of the apprenticeship period. For their part, the apprentice can also bring new practices learned during their training. An opportunity to modernize your business.
Let's not forget the financial aid provided by apprenticeships: exemption from social security contributions on the apprentice's salary, apprenticeship bonus, tax credit...
However, don't take things lightly. If you decide to take on an apprentice, you will have to give him time! Don't expect to gain an extra pair of arms: he still has to learn.
Offer a pleasant working environment
To make your career attractive to young people, you must stand out. And new candidates are increasingly looking for a healthy and pleasant working environment. All the better: careers are generally human-sized and teams rarely exceed 10 people. Protect this family atmosphere by putting people at the center of your management.
When recruiting, focus on soft skills and choose people who are aligned with the values of your company. Once hired, the employee must feel that you trust him: give him responsibilities, promote transparency, recognize your mistakes, let him manage his time independently, offer remote work when possible, organize internal events... This is how he will thrive in his work and will be able to offer his maximum.
Sometimes, an outside perspective can be very helpful in improving the ambiance of your business. Coaches and consulting companies will help you work on this aspect in order to boost your performance.
Be ready to invest
In the same vein, you should be ready to invest the money needed to make your career attractive to young people. Value the salary of your teams: these are physical jobs, which require specific training! A good employee is cheap, it brings in money. Your teams are the lifeblood of your business.
Precisely assess your needs to provide maximum detail in job descriptions. The salary should reflect the experience, skills, and qualifications of your employee. You can also set up a bonus system to reward the commitment of your employees.
Moreover, the new generations are sensitive to security. Organize awareness-raising training and invest in high-performance machines and protective equipment. Also, keep an eye out for new technologies, like exoskeletons. In addition to protecting workers, they will modernize your company's image.
Making the digital shift
To meet the new needs of the sector, the building materials industry is going digital. Don't stay behind! Internal project management, communication tools (for example Slack), presence on social networks, teleworking... Digital technology offers many opportunities for the development of your business.
Especially since young people are generally more comfortable with these new tools! You can entrust them with a large-scale project, such as setting up a CRM or a project management tool.
Specializing in the aggregates and concrete industries, Synaxe offers concrete digital solutions. For 20 years, we have been supporting our customers in automation and career management. Data management, delivery chain monitoring, results analysis, business intelligence... Discover our innovative and customizable solutions without delay!
As you can see, the materials industry still offers a lot of career opportunities for young people. Today, manual jobs are once again attracting students, in particular through apprenticeships, and the numerous professional reconversions express the need of new generations to return to reality.
By promoting aggregate quarries and modernizing your business, you will succeed in attracting competent and passionate new employees.