Key Elements of a Targeted Hiring Program

Most targeted hiring programs include mechanisms that do two things: 1) Maximize the chances that workers from the targeted category who are already in the construction industry will get called to work on that job. 2) Create opportunities for new workers - aspiring apprentices who want training and a construction career - to get trained and hired. Calling up workers who are already on the bench is sometimes referred to as zip-coding (meaning the hiring hall determines which workers meet geographical targeting) or name-calling (the hiring hall tags specific workers who meet other kinds of targeting criteria). Achieving the right balance of these two elements of a targeted hiring program requires local leaders to work together. How many workers are on the bench (and out of work), how many targeted workers are already in the construction workforce, how many apprenticeship openings the targeted projects will create - all of these considerations help determine the right balance.