We invest in our people’s professional and personal development and provide a challenging environment for them to exercise their skills. We also take a leadership role in our industry and the communities in which we operate to encourage personal and economic growth.
Learning and development programmes
Keller’s ability to deliver its business strategy depends on employees with relevant skills, knowledge and experience. Our group-wide learning and development programmes promote a culture that empowers our people to drive innovation and focus on Keller’s principal activities of winning and executing work on behalf of clients.
Our North America Division offers a catalogue of courses focusing on leadership, technical and sustainability training. One example is the Project Manager Academy programme where high potential colleagues enhance their capability to improve execution leading to continued commercial success. Another key focus is the delivery of a carbon calculator
e-learning module to support our sustainability efforts. We also offer Our Leading for Results programme, which challenges participants to lead effectively, develop talent and create clarity in a complex market, to our emerging leaders of the division.
Developing a well-established leadership pipeline remains integral to Keller’s strategy. Alongside the delivery of technical and specialist programmes, our AMEA Division has focused their efforts on upskilling their broader leadership team through the delivery of a Conscious Leadership programme, designed to increase knowledge of personality differences
and raise self-awareness, and a new Manager programme, designed for first time line managers.
At Keller, we recognise the significant role our managers play in cultivating a culture of safety and wellbeing. In 2022, a new wellbeing training module for line managers was developed and launched in AMEA and Europe. We will continue to roll this out across Keller and look at effective ways of the workforce benefitting from wellbeing investment.
Our Europe Division has reactivated their pre-COVID-19 training programmes holding a two-week face to face training session for senior leaders and Finance for Engineers training. Keller’s Counsellor Sales Process which seeks to increase the company’s capabilities in winning higher quality work from our clients, together with Leadership on site, have also been delivered online. Work on updating and improving commercial training has started, introducing adaptive e-learning courses and a blended learning journey.
Further training courses are provided through the European Learning Management Platform, via local training in local languages. Evaluations show that all the offerings have been well received by participants and have helped improve their skills. The divisional leadership team in Europe took part in a reverse mentoring programme during 2022 to build on
their inclusive leadership skills. In addition, all leadership related training programmes have been enhanced by adding DEI content.
Emerging talent
We are committed to developing our future talent pipeline of leaders and investing in our people to ensure they are equipped with the skills to drive the organisation forward within an ever-changing and complex market.
Our Unearthing Potential talent development programme enables us to build this capability and to respond to the future needs of the business. It also allows us to actively engage a diverse range of talent as well as develop future leader learning for all.
During 2022, we took on over 55 engineering graduates and provided 66 apprenticeship and 70 intern and co-op opportunities across the group.
Beyond emerging talent, we have focused on bringing people into geotechnics from a wide range of backgrounds to ensure it has a healthy pipeline of skills for the future. We continue to cultivate relationships with key universities which provide opportunities to attract diverse talent.
The Pitcairn Geotechnical Engineering Scholarship, designed to attract the best geotechnical engineers, gives us the opportunity to not only strengthen our future talent pipeline, but to improve diversity at Keller by attracting individuals from under-represented minority groups.
Global product teams
Keller’s global product teams focus on sharing product-specific knowledge around the world, making sure we are best equipped to offer safe, productive, market-leading technologies to our customers. We have a team for each of our eight major product lines.
We hold monthly educational webcasts, each attended by several hundred people from our global engineering and operations communities.
Geotechnical community
In addition to supporting our existing talent, we proactively support the future skills agenda for the geotechnical industry. Our businesses take a leadership role by providing employees, customers, suppliers and potential employees with technical papers, seminars, field trips and site visits. Staff from companies throughout the group maintain close contact with partner universities to share best practice and undertake research projects to develop new and innovative products, materials and design approaches.
Case study
Keller teams up with children's charity
We are partnering with Bhumi, one of India’s largest charities, to support and educate disadvantage children and encourage future generations to protect the environment.
Bhumi has over 30,000 mainly youth volunteers and has helped educate more than 25,000 children across India since its formation in 2006. The partnership will see us supporting scholarships for young people affected by COVID and terminal illness, as well as sponsoring education for girls and promoting eco workshops. COVID has had a devasting impact on families throughout India, so Keller will be working with Bhumi to identify children who have lost a breadwinner to the coronavirus or terminal illness over the past two years. This will include asking for nominations from employees, subcontractors and others with links to Keller.
The selected children will then receive a scholarship. We will also be sponsoring Bhumi educational sessions at schools for girls and donating IT equipment. And employees will be encouraged to get involved in the charity’s Eco-Champs programme, where children plant trees, learn about recycling and take part in art workshops with an environmental focus.
We really hope to be able to make a positive difference to people’s lives."
Head of HR, Keller India