In December 2015, MasTec Utility Services Group, a provider of utility infrastructure construction services to the electric, telecommunication, and oil and gas industries, launched a pilot of a new Crew Leadership Academy. The purpose was to set up a training center and program specifically designed to support high-potential field employees in their effort to advance toward a leadership position. The pilot targeted learners in the Carolina division because MasTec had a strategic need for several foreman positions to be filled. The objective was to fill many or all of those positions with internal candidates whose skills and abilities would be taken to the next level with focused training.
Program Details
The Crew Leadership Academy pilot was made up of 38 training modules. This consisted of 15 online, self-paced courses. These courses built and reinforced leadership skills, taught proper management and supervision of OSHA inspections, and addressed topics such as effective time management, job setup, and diversity. There were also 23 instructor-led classes that addressed leadership administrative responsibilities, such as policies and procedures for documenting and reporting accidents, claims, and injuries, and processing billing timesheets. Instructor-led classes also taught advanced-level craft skills and proper supervision techniques.
The 38-module program was spread out over eight weeks, with classes typically taught on Fridays or Saturdays, with nine field performance evaluations. These performance evaluations were not scheduled. Leadership would arrive unannounced to evaluate how well each participant was applying what he or she had learned in class the previous week.
Results
The initial pilot class involved six employees, and MasTec has run several classes through as of summer 2016. To date, 31 employees have participated in the Crew Leadership Academy. Employees are responding well to the program, as indicated by their strong 3.6 out of 4.0 average ratings of the curriculum and facilitation. In addition, 11 graduates of the Crew Leadership Academy have been promoted to foreman.
MasTec is seeing a strong positive correlation to retention (100 percent of Academy participants are still employed with MasTec Utility Services Group), and each additional qualified foreman enables the company to increase project acquisition and drive additional revenue. Safety metrics have benefited, as well. None of the 31 employees or their crew has been involved in a safety-related incident since the program’s inception.
