We fight prejudice in the construction industry'.

We fight prejudice in the construction industry'.

The huge personnel shortage in the construction industry is a fact. There are no more real vocational schools and, partly because of that, there is no new influx of skilled workers. "The initiative to train potential craftsmen therefore currently lies with the entrepreneurs themselves. We like to think in terms of solutions rather than problems. In order to be able to fill various positions and keep the projects running, we quickly started looking across the border. We use migrant workers who we train ourselves to be full-fledged skilled workers," says Jarka Dadokova.

Own construction school
Konekta Services established its own construction school in March 2018, with a masonry training course in particular. During this training, masons learn the intricacies of clean masonry work.

Clients actively participate in this process and think about how to train masons in the most effective way. Various training centres have been set up, including those abroad, to increase the recruitment and quality of skilled workers. The bricklaying school is taught by Gerard, a 50-year-old with a wealth of experience.

Over-55s more than welcome
Cobouw published earlier this year an article about Ger, a 59-year-old plumber, who could not find a job for three years because of his age. "With us, the door is wide open for these kinds of professionals and their qualities."

"At present, we already employ several people over 55 as foremen or supervisors who coordinate our projects. It is very important that their knowledge and skills are not lost, but can be passed on to our apprentices, for example."

Women in construction stand their ground
Another statement that crops up regularly in the construction industry and in the news is 'the lack of construction women'. The opposite is true at Konekta Services. The entire construction team, from management to sales and from recruitment to selection, consists of women.

"And if we have to, we'll even put in a bit of masonry with a matching bricklaying layer - no problem," adds sales manager Jolanda Plugers, laughing. "We call on women to join the construction industry. Maybe we'll also get rid of those male job titles, such as carpenter, foreman...".

This article was published on Monday, 15 July 2019 at Cobouw.nl and is sponsored by Konekta Services.