With a state unemployment rate of 2.3% (even lower in Sioux Falls), workforce continues to be on the top of everyone’s mind. And if you’re not busy recruiting employees, you better be working hard to retain them. At Fiegen, we’ve worked hard to promote from within, utilize public/private partnerships and capitalize on great, available summer talent. With a busy summer and a steady pipeline of projects upcoming, we understand how important it is to find and hire great talent from a variety of areas.
Our region typically weather’s the market’s peaks and valleys better than most, due in large part to our work ethic and commitment. While this is great for business and keeps our community thriving, it also means recruiting employees can be a challenge. This year alone, we’ve hired on 18 full-time and part-time employees to ensure we continue to construct exceptional buildings. Here’s a few programs we’ve utilized as part of our hiring strategy:
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Build Dakota Scholarship: We’ve been a supporter of the Build Dakota Scholarship from the beginning and by utilizing that program, we were able to bring on three recent graduates from Lake Area Tech and Southeast Tech. In addition to the three graduates, Fiegen has been able to employ six additional employees this summer before they return to school to this Fall. Once they’ve completed their schooling, we’re excited to have them join our team full-time.
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AGC of SD: In addition to Build Dakota, the Associated General Contractors of South Dakota provide opportunities for young people, and we were able to hire one new employee thus far this year.
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Fiegen Internships: Whether it’s through the AGC of South Dakota, our state’s technical colleges or other schools throughout the region, Fiegen’s been able to put to work student interns over the summer.
We know there’s no magic bullet to the worker shortage in our state and we realize we’re not alone. Despite many challenges, we’re optimistic about what the future holds and have the workforce development strategies in place to help us get the job done, no matter what lies ahead.
Rusty
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