ROUNDTABLE | NEXT GENERATION
Building the next generation of talent
Young professional development is a hot topic across many industries, but in the crane and hoist sector many skills are set to be lost as older generations retire. We asked industry and training professionals about the challenge of refilling the talent pool.
F
inding the right skills to fill empty positions is really tough. Recruitment of technicians is particularly challenging, as experience
is hard to find. Where the trades were once seen as honourable, skilled manual labour fell out of fashion. While that attitude is starting to change, the shift cannot happen fast enough. As many senior technicians are coming up
to retirement age, companies risk losing their knowledge and experience. Getting younger generations to pick up the mantle is important, though it is not their only route into the industry. Fortunately, there is a growing perception that trades have more value as a career path, so we asked a distinguished panel of industry professionals how to attract the next generation of skilled workers. We have two interesting perspectives from
Mazzella Companies. Candice Gouge joined as director of lifelong learning two years ago to focus on developing recruitment strategy and talent programmes. Kevin Brewer, director of crane services, has worked as a technician, in sales and in leadership roles. Now, he is integral to developing the company’s talent pool. Chelsea Liston, managing executive at
MHI is keenly involved in the material handling, logistics and the supply chain association’s Young Professionals Network (YPN). Margie Nijs, VP of talent management and engagement at Konecranes, is keenly focused on talent development, communications and analytics. Jasen Doyle, director of training at Interplay Company’s International Training International (ITI) has extensive experience as an instructor and a technical expert. Liz Hunter, recently appointed as supply chain manager at Nucor subsidiary The David J Joseph Company (DJJ), who is also chair of AIST Young
Professionals Membership Committee, also contributed to the discussion.
What career paths exist in this industry that young professionals may not be aware of? Kevin Brewer: Technicians are typically multi- skilled. They are welders, millwrights, mechanics, electricians, installers – some are all of those. But there are also administrative, managerial and sales positions. Then there are other parts of the business like HR, recruitment, marketing and project management. We need a whole lot more than just crane technicians. Chelsea Liston: Many people think of material handling careers as being limited to engineering, sales or field service, but there’s a lot more. You can explore roles in marketing, project management and system integration, or even training and workforce development, where you might design certification programmes or lead educational initiatives. Margie Nijs: People can be surprised by how many different directions a career here can take. Beyond the expected technical roles, we also have opportunities in project management, engineering, safety, sales, cybersecurity, AI and IT, data analytics, people and culture and sustainability – to mention just a few. Many colleagues move internally between functions, which keeps careers varied and interesting. Jasen Doyle: A lot of people only think about the hands-on roles, like crane operators or riggers, but this industry is much broader than that. There are opportunities in lift planning, field engineering, inspections, safety management and training. The management and planning side of lifting operations has expanded significantly over the past couple of decades. As standards evolve and
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