Amongst the eye-catching headline spending figures in the Chancellor's summer statement came the announcement of the Construction Leadership Council's Talent Retention Scheme (CLC TRS). This is being seen as a critical component in safeguarding the infrastructure space and jobs in civil engineering and other sectors.

Not for profit
 

This not for profit programme has been conceived as a way for talented individuals to showcase their experience and expertise while helping businesses to locate the skills they need moving forward after lockdown. The scheme will be supported by member companies, business organisations, professional institutions, unions and a range of stakeholders.

All services will be provided free of charge by the CLC until the end of April 2021. The online portal will enable temporary employee loans between businesses as well as supporting redeployment of staff at risk of redundancy.

Key features
 

The CLC TRS will provide a dedicated resourcing and talent management platform with a simple to use interface that allows companies to search for and recruit talented individuals while offering unlimited opportunities for jobs in civil engineering and other construction sectors.

Businesses and individuals will be able to use the portal to make direct contact while the TRS will also actively promote high quality candidates through their online profile and CV. Businesses will benefit from targeted micro pages that can be used to promote anything from news and events to services and latest vacancies. 

The aim is to give 24/7 visibility to at risk individuals and access to vacancies at interested organisations. This tailored platform will ensure that their skills and experience are given a prominent platform across the industry. The scheme is designed to support careers in construction, engineering and building services through the easing of lockdown and beyond.

Safeguarding the industry
 

The government has made no secret of its intention to use construction and large and small scale infrastructure projects as levers to drive the post-Covid recovery. It's a sentiment echoed by Alasdair Reisner, Chief Executive of the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) who hailed the CLC TRS as a fantastic initiative designed to retain skills and allow the sector to operate at its full potential.

CLC co-chair Andy Mitchell hailed the success of the collaborative effort with the government. "We look forward to continuing in this spirit when the proposals and recommendations of our broader Roadmap to Recovery are published," he said. The TRS is predicted to be critical when unavoidable job losses are announced in October as the furlough scheme comes to an end and employees are forced to seek new opportunities within the industry. 

It will be vital that the industry avoids a talent drain and businesses can already register their interest in the scheme by visiting the website www.trs-system.co.uk/construction. Individuals will be able to register when the portal officially opens at the end of July.
Talent Retention Schemes have a proven track record over other sectors. Cross industry support and pledges from leading employers should ensure that skills are retained and shared across the industry.