Family-owned construction firm Beard is reinforcing its commitment to workforce development with the launch of its business-wide expertise building initiative, Skills to Build.
As building projects and procurement routes become more complex and the construction sector increasingly regulated, the expectations for project teams and their technical expertise are rising.
Skills to Build is designed to ensure Beard’s 350 employees across Swindon, Bristol, Guildford, Oxford, and Southampton are equipped to meet these challenges with confidence.
The programme focuses on strengthening technical knowledge and improving knowledge-sharing across the business and is structured around three key pillars:
- Virtual Technical Team – an internal network of technical experts who can provide specialist advice and support in areas such as construction methods and building components.
- Sector specialists – experienced professionals within Beard who contribute their accumulated knowledge to support project teams and mentor others. The programme encourages self-driven learning to expand this group over time.
- External partners – trusted third-party experts who understand the business and offer technical input in areas not covered internally.
Mike Hedges, Company Operations Director
Growing our own talent
The Skills to Build initiative builds on Beard’s company-wide commitment to training, which saw more than 600 days of formal training delivered to employees in the past year.
This included 11 Beard colleagues who completed the firm’s Leadership Development Programme, which equips potential future leaders with the skills to hold senior positions in the immediate and mid-term future.
The programme’s success has prompted the development of a ‘Next Gen’ edition of the training to help young professionals establish leadership and management skills early in their careers.
A further 90 colleagues with line management responsibilities have completed the first of their internal management training modules, which places focus on setting and working towards objectives.
Melissa Barber, Head of People and Communications
Melissa is an accredited Insights Practitioner, enabling her to use the Insights Discovery psychometric tool to help individuals understand themselves and others better, allowing them to improve communication, collaboration, and workplace performance.
Part of her work has included the creation of EmpowerHer, a bespoke initiative tailored for women ready to take their next step and professionals building their careers. It equips women with a growth mindset and teaches how to communicate with clarity and confidence, give and receive feedback effectively, and develop resilience.
Melissa Barber, Head of People and Communications
Women from across Beard’s five offices are taking part, representing roles including office management, design management, and quantity surveying.
Building foundations for successful futures
Beard also has a long-standing commitment to nurturing young talent in the construction sector, hosting year in industry students, work experience placements and construction trainees every year.
Earlier this month, Beard hosted its inaugural ‘foundations and futures’ event, bringing together all construction trainees, T-Level students, year-in-industry participants and work experience students for a day of learning and development.
The event aimed to nurture collaboration between colleagues at similar stages of their careers, giving them a support network beyond their regional offices.
Attendees were challenged to deliver a mini ‘construction crisis’ presentation, as well as discovering what type of learners they are through the Insights methodology, which should help them to enhance their learning both in the workplace and in the classroom.
KOREC, suppliers of specialist surveying and measurement equipment to the industry, introduced Beard trainees to LiDAR scanners, which deliver high precision 3D surveying. With technology evolving so quickly, it was valuable to demonstrate the application of technology in construction.
Inspiring and developing rewarding careers is a core part of the fourth-generation family-owned business’ ethos and a key pillar in its social value framework.
The construction industry needs a quarter of a million new entrants by 2028 to keep pace with industry demand, according to figures from the Construction Industry Training Board, so it is vital that we attract and retain young talent – both as a company and collectively as an industry.
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