Episode #1
How to Build a Construction Employee Development Program That Works
Most construction companies don't have an employee development program. They have a few classes, some ride-alongs, and a lot of “watch the experienced person and figure it out.” That works—until the company grows. In this episode of The Well Built Podcast, Chad Prinkey and Matt Verderamo break down what a real employee development system looks like for contractors: how to structure training around outcomes, how to combine classroom learning with practice and field coaching, and how to develop people for the next role before you promote them into it. They also get into positional onboarding, hard skills vs. soft skills, how often training should happen, why every training should be recorded, and when a contractor should own recruiting internally versus lean on an outside recruiter. If you're trying to develop stronger PMs, estimators, superintendents, department leaders, or future executives without relying on years of trial and error, this episode is for you. In this episode: Why “sending people to classes” is not a development program How to build a repeatable training system that scales as your company grows Classroom learning, practice, and on-the-job coaching Why onboarding is more than computers, passwords, and orientation Positional onboarding, mastery, and readiness Balancing technical skills with communication and leadership skills How training cadence should match the speed of development you need Why you should record every training When to use outside recruiters—and when recruiting should be an internal competency When a full-time internal recruiter starts to make sense Chapters: 00:00 Well Built team retreat and check-in 06:36 What an employee development program actually looks like 08:59 The Navy SEAL analogy—and the pushback 11:35 Classes vs. a real development program 13:55 Building a training system that scales 16:43 Classroom, practice, and on-the-job training 20:33 Coaching habits, attitudes, and performance 23:29 How often should you train? 25:56 Why immersive training works 28:11 Make new hires trainees before loading them with work 33:39 Onboarding, mastery, and readiness for the next role 36:20 Hard skills vs. soft skills 40:53 Record everything 42:23 Design the ideal program before compromising 44:25 Outside recruiters vs. internal recruiting 52:12 When to hire a full-time recruiter 58:18 What Chad and Matt are reading Get the book: https://a.co/d/0hYMQXqx Subscribe to the Well Built Newsletter: https://www.wellbuiltconsulting.com/well-built-newsletter-registration Talk with us: https://www.wellbuiltconsulting.com/contact #ConstructionLeadership #EmployeeDevelopment #ConstructionBusiness
