Putting in the Work for Workforce

Workforce headshots

By Libby Pritchard, NSSGA
By Catherine Whalen, NSSGA

 

The current workforce challenges facing the aggregates industry can be summed up with three Rs: recruitment, retention and retirement.

 

First, recruiting is a challenge all on its own. For some companies getting people in the door to interview is difficult because jobs in tech and other industries, including flexible "gig" work, increasingly attract workers, meaning there are fewer fresh faces for the aggregates industry. Additionally, the talent pool of today looks vastly different than a few decades ago when many workers already had mechanical skills and experience when they started. Today, fewer kids grow up working with their hands, fixing up cars or farm equipment. These skills and background knowledge are vital for work in the aggregates industry. By contrast, kids today are more likely to know how to write computer code than fix an engine. This means for many new miners, their transition isn’t as smooth as their predecessors, and today’s new hires need more training, time and mentorship when they come on board.

 

Another challenge is when a new miner shows up at a company, they’re often not new to the industry, but rather an experienced miner coming from a nearby competitor. Talent is being shuffled around from quarry to quarry. Workers are also being lost to other industries offering more competitive hourly wages because almost all industries, not just aggregates, are having difficulties recruiting and retaining workers.

 

Finally, these workforce challenges are further exacerbated by a wave of retirements. There are too few workers coming in to replace retirees, plus the outgoing generation is taking invaluable institutional knowledge and skills with them. We need new people joining the ranks so the decades of experience and knowledge from their predecessors can be passed on.

 

Even in the face of these challenges, there is hope. Since the end of 2021, NSSGA has been working with members on a strategy to address both short and long-term workforce issues.

In 2022, the NSSGA Workforce Development Task Force sent out a survey to better understand the industry’s workforce challenges. It was unsurprising when results came back showing 92 percent of members (including both producer and manufacturing and services) were experiencing hiring difficulties. What was more interesting was the information about why. While workforce challenges are complicated, the survey showed two key reasons why the industry has such difficulties: lack of skilled workers and industry image. Each of these areas are being diligently addressed by the Task Force.

 

To address the former, the Task Force created a small team dedicated to furthering the education and training of high school students through the Mining, Asphalt, Concrete and Construction Technology (MACC Tech) program. This program includes over 300 hours of training on industry fundamentals including safety, geology, terminology, the mining process and environmental regulations. The program has been adopted at Butler Tech in Ohio and is making great headway towards implementation in Kentucky thanks to the excellent work and leadership of the Kentucky Crushed Stone Association. NSSGA’s goal is to take this proven program and spread it across the country so it can reach high schoolers in all 50 states. The first step toward that goal is gathering video resources to populate 80 percent of the 332-hour curriculum. The other 20 percent of the curriculum is left open to accommodate state-specific requirements. Once the curriculum resources are gathered, the next step is to work with partners, such as state aggregate associations, to get the MACC Tech program approved by state boards of education nationwide. The MACC Tech program will give students an opportunity to earn a credential recognized by the industry and greatly increase awareness about mining as a career option right after graduation.

 

To address the industry image, the Task Force created the marketing team, which is dedicated to increasing awareness and shifting the public image of the aggregates industry. Although this is a daunting task, the team has taken a steady approach and is mindfully working on marketing efforts. During NSSGA’s 2022 Annual Convention in Nashville, Tennessee, a series of interviews were recorded called the "Why I Love My Industry" campaign. Clips from these interviews are being stitched together to create digital ads promoting the industry. It includes highlighting the people, wide-ranging career opportunities and benefits of being part of an essential, meaningful industry. In addition to digital ads, the marketing team is creating resources for K-12 teachers, college professors, recruiting centers and organizations that are involved with public outreach and education. This includes the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, public libraries and mineral societies. It is important that the resources are not being created in a vacuum, rather, they are based on feedback received from educators during listening sessions. This will be helpful for those who will ultimately use them in the classroom. The resources will include videos, PowerPoints, lesson plans, hands-on activities, worksheets, white papers and Google Tours. Specific resources are also being created that target current job seekers and recruiting centers that outline why the aggregates industry is a great place to find a career, not just a job. These materials will provide valuable information for educators, students and job seekers; it will also increase awareness about aggregates at all levels throughout our communities.

 

It’s crucial that we address both the short and long-term needs of the industry. By reaching out to new talent pools and providing resources and information about our industry, we can bring in people today. By increasing awareness and educational opportunities for high schoolers, we can start reaping the benefits in a few years. Finally, by tapping into K-12 education and teaching children about aggregates when they’re young, we can sustain our workforce in the future.

 

Although the workforce challenges are many, the track record of people joining and staying in the industry is encouraging. We all know the aggregates industry is truly wonderful to be part of—and that’s the most important piece in our workplace puzzle.

 

If you would like more information about NSSGA’s Workforce Development Task Force or if you would like to join, please contact workforce@nssga.org.