CONSTRUCTION supervisors have spoken out on the difficulties they have keeping talented Bermudians on hire, insisting that many refuse to meet the challenges of the job or take advantage of training on offer.The claim was supported by National Training Board (NTB) chairman Michael Stowe, who said that while his organisation had seen a record number of career-minded applicants for its autumn programmes, there were those people in the construction industry who were only interested in short spurts of work.

“I would suggest where the industry can’t keep people in that area are people who are probably not in a training programme,” he stated. “At the NTB, we’re generally satisfied with the retention rate.

“What (the industry is) probably witnessing are people who are using construction employment for transition purposes. A lot of youngsters are making $1,000 per week and they they transition out after they have made a certain amount of money.

“(The NTB) can’t speak to the transitory types. Not only are they transitory to construction, but to all forms of employment. Their problems are probably connected with significant social issues — whether having been in or just returned from the criminal justice system, or substance abuse, or even those who are in employment just to earn money to return to school — but we are not witnessing people who are not sticking with construction.”

He predicted participation in the NTB’s training and apprenticeship programmes would swell this year.

“For the most part there is the appearance of having a record intake of apprentices and trainees, and quite possibly, it appears this fall will be the largest intake in more than seven years.

“We anticipate numbers close to 1998 when the NTB first started its training programme. At that time at the college there were 120. This year, in looking at the numbers and across 40 different occupational categories including electrical and plumbing, the numbers are substantial for those pursuing training overseas and while we probably won’t know the numbers of those enrolled in courses here until next month, individual companies are referring people for training and the numbers are looking very good.”

However, the situation remains frustrating to those eager to see more Bermudians take advantage of the opportunities available in the industry.

“What I’m finding is that back in the day, if you had say 30 people working on a job, you might have problems with one or maybe two guys who didn’t make their time,” said Maurice Caines, a site superintendent with BCM McAlpine.

“The rest of them they worked hard. They saw the potential for the money and they worked the overtime and did what they had to do. Nowadays, out of 30, you’re probably chasing close to half of them for timekeeping, half of them won’t even work overtime.

“I don’t know if it’s because they have another job or what — the money is there — but (the situation has) flipped. I do my best talking to the younger guys trying to help them.

“They come with their own personal baggage. You just listen. You don’t tell them what to do but you try to give them the right advice as far as protecting their job because they’re going to need the job regardless of what’s going on with their person.

“My motto is if you give your boss more reasons to keep you than to let you go, you’ll always have a job. I try to explain that to them.”

His colleague Gail Marshall agreed that one of the most demanding aspects of her job is finding young people who are interested in a career.

“We provide all the training our guys need if they’re willing to take the opportunity and move ahead,” she said, referring to the scholarships for overseas study and local training BCM McAlpine affords those with interest.

“It’s a real dilemma. There’s plenty of work but it’s a hard job physically and mentally and a lot just don’t have the energy level for what it takes.

“There is so much construction work out there. If a boy’s not working today, there’s something wrong with him. I find the guys are not as motivated as (people were a decade ago).

“When I hire guys I tell them, ‘You’re the only ones who can stop people from coming to your country and taking your job. You’ve got to get educated, you’ve got to learn the trade’.

“I don’t like to use the word lazy, but a lot of them just aren’t motivated. We’re losing the pride we once had in our work and that’s what we have to gain back.

“We have a lot of talented locals but, unfortunately, a lot of the good ones are strung out on something. They appear to have bad habits and that’s what’s hurting them. Half the battle is getting them to show up for work.”

Wider opportunities have also impacted on the numbers of Bermudian construction workers, according to John Richardson, small jobs foreman for BCM McAlpine.

“The world has become very small. If you have a dream, if you don’t try to make that dream come true, it’s your loss. You need to realise your dream. There are so many opportunities in the world today and we as parents encourage our children to grow, to find out what it takes to get their dream going and work on that.

“You can do so many things today and some people use construction as a vehicle to realise that dream. I’ve seen young men come home from school for summer, Christmas and Easter — they get a job in the construction field and work to get funds to go to school and be better educated so that they can go into professions they really like.

“Some of them get experience in the construction field and it’s with them for the rest of their life. It’s something they can always turn back to, to help themselves in their homes — and if they need a job in construction they can always come back to it.”