Explore the Agenda
Pre-Conference Workshop A
9:00 am Building a High-Impact Talent Acquisition Function: Structuring Your Team for Growth, Influence, & Scale
- How different construction organizations structure Talent Acquisition teams to balance consistency, flexibility, scalability, and business partnership.
- The critical decisions Talent Acquisition leaders must make around recruiter ownership, workforce planning, governance, capability building, and resource allocation.
- How to position Talent Acquisition as a strategic business partner with greater influence on workforce planning, hiring decisions, and long-term growth.
- Benchmark your current Talent Acquisition operating model against a range of structures being used across the construction industry and identify the gaps limiting growth, effectiveness, and influence.
- Diagnose the operating model decisions that will have the greatest impact on your organization, from recruiter ownership and resource allocation to workforce planning, governance, and stakeholder partnership.
- Prioritize the practical changes needed to build a more agile, scalable Talent Acquisition function that delivers stronger hiring outcomes and greater business impact.
Pre-Conference Workshop B
1:30 pm Creating a Talent Magnet: Leveraging Employee Advocacy, Community Partnerships, & Industry Networks
Construction organizations are competing for talent in an increasingly challenging hiring environment, yet many are still relying on the same sourcing channels as everyone else. As labor shortages persist and competition for skilled workers intensifies, leading employers are finding success by building stronger relationships with employees, communities, industry networks, and future candidates long before hiring needs become urgent.
There is no single solution to creating a sustainable talent pipeline. The strongest organizations are combining employee advocacy, community engagement, industry involvement, and peoplefirst hiring strategies to expand their reach, strengthen their reputation, and connect with candidates who may never respond to traditional recruiting efforts. This workshop will help attendees evaluate what works in practice, drawing on real-world examples from construction employers that have successfully built talent pipelines beyond job boards, agencies, and reactive recruiting.
Through interactive discussion, practical examples, and collaborative problem-solving, attendees will explore how to create stronger talent networks, increase referral-driven hiring, and build long-term sources of talent that support workforce growth. The workshop is designed to help participants identify untapped talent opportunities, strengthen employee engagement, and create a more resilient approach to attracting and retaining talent.
This workshop will address:
- How leading construction employers are leveraging employee referrals, community engagement, and industry relationships to create long-term talent pipelines.
- The strategies organizations are using to strengthen employee advocacy, improve referral participation, and build trust with future candidates before hiring needs arise.
- How to create a more sustainable talent attraction strategy by turning employees, community connections, and industry networks into ongoing sources of future talent.
You will leave this workshop able to:
- Assess how leading employers are reaching talent that may never engage with traditional recruiting methods.
- Evaluate how your organization can strengthen employee advocacy, community engagement, and relationship-based recruiting strategies.
- Build a practical action plan for creating a more predictable and sustainable talent pipeline that supports long-term workforce growth.