Amid ongoing challenges within Northern Nevada’s construction industry, Q&D Construction has pioneered the creation of the N.L. Dianda Skills Academy, a strategic initiative poised to impact the workforce in profound ways. This ambitious project seeks to address a lingering issue of recruitment shortages and skill gaps, providing solutions through targeted training programs and cultural immersion strategies. With an intention to nurture a well-rounded workforce aligned with the company’s ethos, this collective effort represents a dedication to overcoming difficulties faced by the construction sector.
Addressing Recruitment Challenges
Northern Nevada’s construction sector has been contending with significant recruitment challenges over the past decade. This difficulty is largely due to the increasing attraction of industrial jobs featuring comfortable environments, often found in temperature-controlled workplaces. Such settings have drawn younger talents away from physically demanding construction sites, creating a void in the industry. Q&D Construction responded by investing over $2 million into multifaceted training initiatives aimed at bridging this gap. These programs are carefully structured to bolster both novice and experienced workers, ensuring essential skills are learned and continuously refined within a supportive environment. Through these endeavors, Q&D is committed to revitalizing interest in construction roles that promise rewarding opportunities and long-term career growth.
Recognizing this shift away from traditional construction roles, Q&D’s focus extends beyond mere skill development, emphasizing the cultivation of a robust company culture. This approach calls for deploying seasoned employees and retirees, whose collective expertise enriches academy training sessions. By creating an environment where knowledge transfer is seamless, the academy aims to inspire participants, offering them compensation alongside education. This incentive framework encourages active engagement with the array of skills programs on offer, such as reading plans, executing excavations, and safely operating machinery. The academy’s strategy provides a holistic pathway to competency, nurturing future industry leaders while simultaneously rejuvenating interest in construction careers.
Establishing the N.L. Dianda Skills Academy
The founding of the N.L. Dianda Skills Academy symbolizes Q&D Construction’s commitment to fostering practical and cultural growth among its workforce. Named in honor of company founder Norm Dianda, the academy serves as a central hub where training transcends mere technical proficiency to instill core values unique to Q&D. This ambitious endeavor leans on the vast industry experience possessed by longstanding employees, who guide trainees through structured learning experiences, thus ensuring valuable wisdom is passed down effectively. Importantly, the academy advocates a learning environment where trainees are paid, reducing barriers to participation and positioning education as an extension of professional work.
Deep diving into skill development, the academy’s curriculum spans a wide range of essential capabilities tailored to real-life scenarios, equipping participants to handle diverse work conditions. Fundamental topics include plan reading, grade-stake comprehension, concrete handling, excavation techniques, and safe equipment operation under varying environmental circumstances. By engaging actively with these training modules, participants build confidence and competence, creating a workforce versatile enough to adapt to dynamic project demands. This comprehensive approach not only caters to immediate workforce needs but also establishes a sustainable foundation for Q&D’s long-term success in the industry.
Fostering a Proactive Company Culture
Q&D Construction envisions a progressive company culture driven by continuous employee development and engagement. At the helm of cultural initiatives is Lance Semenko, CEO, who emphasizes company-wide alignment with essential skills and cultural entrance. He argues that, apart from attracting talent, maintaining existing workforce interest is crucial. By providing platforms for open dialogue between apprentices and management, the academy serves as a vibrant space for feedback and suggestions. This interaction contributes to the evolving landscape within Q&D, shaping strategies responsive to both individual employee needs and broader industry trends.
Under Semenko’s leadership, Q&D aims to be seen not just as an employer but as a career-making partner, one that industry professionals prefer for growth and development. Empowering employees with required competencies coupled with cultural inclusion is integral to achieving this vision. The academy’s learning environments foster community authentically, encouraging transparency and empowering apprentices in refining their skills actively. This holistic framework seeks to cultivate loyalty and collaboration, ensuring employees become instrumental in driving Q&D’s mission forward while shaping innovative paradigms for other industry players.
Expanding Learning Opportunities
Guided by Eva Werschky, director of training and outreach, Q&D ensures its comprehensive curriculum addresses diverse employee aspirations. Pioneering this expansion in learning opportunities, the academy initially faced hesitancy among employees regarding training participation. Gradually, focus on personal and professional growth prompted increased enrollment, driven by the pursuit of elevated career trajectories. Employees are given structured paths to upskill, understanding how enhanced capabilities translate to broader project readiness. The academy works collectively with labor unions, including Operating Engineers Local 3, Laborers International Union Local 169, and Operative Plasterers & Cement Masons Local 797, aligning training with necessary apprenticeship requirements.
Q&D’s training programs contribute to additional apprenticeship hour requirements, fostering employee readiness across varied specializations. While Carpenters Local 971 remains a holdout, choosing not to recognize Q&D’s trainers, Semenko perceives this as an outdated stance. He underscores the expanded educational prospects available through the academy as a progressive move. By establishing clear connections with unionized organizations, Q&D helps integrate apprentices within broader industry frameworks, offering expanded employment viability through comprehensive learning modules.
Embracing Technology and Language Proficiency
Amid enduring challenges in Northern Nevada’s construction landscape, Q&D Construction has taken a transformative step by launching the N.L. Dianda Skills Academy. This initiative is designed to significantly impact the workforce by addressing critical issues like recruitment shortages and skill gaps through specialized training programs. These programs aim to provide solutions by honing specific skills and incorporating cultural immersion strategies, thereby preparing workers more comprehensively. The academy’s goal is not merely to fill vacancies but to cultivate a versatile workforce that resonates with the company’s values and vision. By investing in education and skill development, Q&D is demonstrating its commitment to overcoming obstacles that have long plagued the construction sector, with an emphasis on nurturing talent that aligns with the evolving needs and ethos of the industry. This strategic endeavor underscores their dedication to fostering a dynamic, ready, and robust workforce capable of meeting the demands of the future.
